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Business Standard
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Putin open to talks, questions Zelenskyy's legitimacy for inking peace deal
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for a meeting with Putin, stating that he alone can resolve pressing bilateral issues, including disputes over territory ANI Europe Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed doubts about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 's authority to sign a treaty, while indicating he was open to meeting him for peace talks, RT reported. "Signature must come from legitimate authorities," the Russian President said on Wednesday. Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for a meeting with Putin, stating that he alone can resolve pressing bilateral issues, including disputes over territory. However, speaking to international media at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin raised concerns over the Ukrainian leader's legitimacy. RT quoted Putin as saying, "If the Ukrainian state entrusts someone to negotiate on its behalf, suit yourself, let it be Zelenskyy. The question is, who will sign the document?" Zelenskyy's presidential term officially ended last year, and no successor has been elected due to the imposition of martial law. Zelenskyy argues that he can remain in office under the current conditions, though the Ukrainian Constitution states that presidential powers should be transferred to the parliament's speaker in such a case. "Propagandistically, one can say anything about the legitimacy of the current authorities, but we care about legal aspects and not propaganda when dealing with serious issues," RT quoted Putin as saying. He also noted that since many Ukrainian officials are appointed by the president, Zelenskyy's questionable legal status casts doubt on the authority of those serving under him. RT reported Putin as stating, "But the signature must come from legitimate authorities. Otherwise, whoever comes after him will toss it to the dumpster. That's not a way to conduct serious business." Despite these concerns over legitimacy, Russia has returned the remains of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers in the latest exchange with Kyiv, RT reported, citing Kremlin official Vladimir Medinsky. The bodies, recovered from multiple front-line regions, mark a continued effort in the humanitarian coordination between the two nations. According to RT, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War first announced the transfer. The remains were recovered from Kursk, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions of Russia, along with Ukraine's Kharkiv region. No individual identities were released. Meanwhile, Russia received the remains of 27 of its soldiers during the exchange. RT further reported that Medinsky, Moscow's chief negotiator in talks with Kiev, stated on Telegram that both sides had agreed to initiate "urgent sanitary exchanges" involving severely wounded prisoners of war. He emphasized Russia's commitment, saying, "Russia does not abandon its own people." The exchange followed discussions held earlier this month in Istanbul. As per RT, Moscow had earlier offered to return over 6,000 Ukrainian bodies but accused Kiev of delaying acceptance. Despite logistical setbacks, Russian Lieutenant General Aleksandr Zorin affirmed Moscow's intent to uphold the agreement, calling it a "purely humanitarian action. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India.com
11 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
Russia-Ukraine War: Putin Questions Zelenskys Legitimacy To Seal Peace Deal
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed doubts about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's authority to sign a treaty, while indicating he was open to meeting him for peace talks, RT reported. "Signature must come from legitimate authorities," the Russian President said on Wednesday. Zelensky has repeatedly called for a meeting with Putin, stating that he alone can resolve pressing bilateral issues, including disputes over territory. However, speaking to international media at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin raised concerns over the Ukrainian leader's legitimacy. RT quoted Putin as saying, "If the Ukrainian state entrusts someone to negotiate on its behalf, suit yourself, let it be Zelensky. The question is, who will sign the document?" Zelensky's presidential term officially ended last year, and no successor has been elected due to the imposition of martial law. Zelensky argues that he can remain in office under the current conditions, though the Ukrainian Constitution states that presidential powers should be transferred to the parliament's speaker in such a case. "Propagandistically, one can say anything about the legitimacy of the current authorities, but we care about legal aspects and not propaganda when dealing with serious issues," RT quoted Putin as saying. He also noted that since many Ukrainian officials are appointed by the president, Zelensky's questionable legal status casts doubt on the authority of those serving under him. RT reported Putin as stating, "But the signature must come from legitimate authorities. Otherwise, whoever comes after him will toss it to the dumpster. That's not a way to conduct serious business." Despite these concerns over legitimacy, Russia has returned the remains of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers in the latest exchange with Kyiv, RT reported, citing Kremlin official Vladimir Medinsky. The bodies, recovered from multiple front-line regions, mark a continued effort in the humanitarian coordination between the two nations. According to RT, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War first announced the transfer. The remains were recovered from Kursk, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions of Russia, along with Ukraine's Kharkiv region. No individual identities were released. Meanwhile, Russia received the remains of 27 of its soldiers during the exchange. RT further reported that Medinsky, Moscow's chief negotiator in talks with Kiev, stated on Telegram that both sides had agreed to initiate "urgent sanitary exchanges" involving severely wounded prisoners of war. He emphasized Russia's commitment, saying, "Russia does not abandon its own people." The exchange followed discussions held earlier this month in Istanbul. As per RT, Moscow had earlier offered to return over 6,000 Ukrainian bodies but accused Kiev of delaying acceptance. Despite logistical setbacks, Russian Lieutenant General Aleksandr Zorin affirmed Moscow's intent to uphold the agreement, calling it a "purely humanitarian action."
Russia Today
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia isn't seeking Zelensky's removal
Ukrainian officials in the future could legally challenge any agreements signed by Vladimir Zelensky, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Despite this, he said Russia is not demanding that Zelensky step down. Moscow has repeatedly rejected Zelensky's legitimacy since his presidential term lapsed last May. He has since postponed elections with successive extensions of martial law roughly every three months. Ukraine's parliament supported the latest extension last week. In an interview with French weekly Le Point published on Wednesday, Peskov was asked whether Russia was demanding the Ukrainian leader's resignation. 'It's not one of our demands, but even if an agreement were signed with Zelensky today, people could come forward later in Ukraine and legally challenge his legitimacy,' the spokesman said. 'This is in relation to martial law and certain articles of the Ukrainian Constitution... The role of the Rada is enshrined in the constitution, not that of the president,' Peskov added. Moscow maintains that the Ukrainian constitution allows Zelensky to transfer presidential authority to the current speaker of Ukraine's parliament, the Rada. Russia does not insist on the Ukrainian leader stepping down as a precondition to starting bilateral talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said late last year. However, any final document would have to be signed with the de jure leader of Ukraine, he said. 'But if we ever get to the point of signing a document, it can only be done with the representatives of legitimate authorities, that is the bottom line,' Putin said. Russian officials have also pointed out that another hurdle to potential talks between Moscow and Kiev is Zelensky's decree banning any negotiations with Putin. No direct talks between Russia and Ukraine have taken place since the collapse of the Istanbul negotiations in 2022. Then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson convinced Kiev to stop diplomacy and keep fighting, according to the head of Kiev's delegation, David Arakhamia.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine has no great options if Trump recognizes Crimea as Russian
Ukraine is facing a crossroads in its fight against Russia's full-scale invasion, with the possibility of being forced to reject an unfavorable peace deal being imposed under huge pressure from the U.S. The red line for Kyiv could be a reported proposal from the White House that would give Russia de jure recognition of Crimea as a Russian territory — a move that would end more than a decade of bipartisan consensus rejecting the annexation, based on a bedrock of long-held international norms. "Under Trump, the Crimean Declaration was signed during his first term in 2018, where the United States did not recognize Crimea as part of Russia," Volodymyr Ariev, a lawmaker with the European Solidarity Party, told the Kyiv Independent. "If the U.S. violates this declaration, which it itself made, it will present itself as an unreliable partner worldwide… and open Pandora's box globally." Ukraine finds itself in an immensely frustrating position, having done all that was asked of it by the U.S. since the peace process began in earnest, yet now facing demands that are likely impossible. On March 11, Kyiv signed off on a U.S.-proposed, full 30-day truce, and has taken steps towards signing a mineral deal with Washington after Trump cut off military and intelligence sharing following a now infamous rebuke of Zelensky in the Oval Office in February. Russia has refused to agree to a full ceasefire, and has continued devastating attacks against Ukrainian civilians, yet the White House has not applied any sanctions or pressure to get them to stop. Despite this, the U.S. is now pushing a peace deal that rewards Russia's war of aggression, and strips Ukraine of territory with no security guarantees that could prevent Moscow from launching another war in the future. This frustration was evident on April 23 when Zelensky said Ukraine insists on an "immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire." "That was the proposal put forward by the United States on March 11 of this year — and it was absolutely reasonable," Zelensky said. "This is absolutely possible – but only if Russia agrees and stops the killing." With no sign of Russia signing up for a full ceasefire, the U.S. proposal is the only game in town — but it's loaded against Kyiv right from the outset. One of the most immediate problems in the event of the U.S. recognizing Crimea as Russian is that Ukrainian law does not allow Kyiv to agree to, or condone the move. According to the Ukrainian Constitution, Crimea is a legally recognized and inseparable part of Ukraine. No acts can be passed by the Ukrainian government that contradict the country's constitution. The constitution can't be changed during martial law. The only way Ukraine could legally recognize Crimea as Russian would be to hold a referendum on the issue and put the vote to the people. While recent polling shows the number of Ukrainians willing to make territorial concessions to end the war has risen, a majority still oppose the idea. Further, polling has not specified between de facto and de jure control, with de jure likely to be more heavily opposed than de facto. "No Ukrainian government has a mandate to recognize Crimea as Russian," Halyna Yanchenko, a lawmaker from the Servant of the People party, told the Kyiv Independent. "Any peace agreement that includes such a provision would risk sparking unrest within the country. That's why no Ukrainian leadership would ever agree to it. "And there is simply no chance such a deal would pass a vote in Ukraine's Parliament." If the U.S. is proposing recognizing Crimea de jure as Russian, Ukraine's immediate priority should be to lobby against it, Ukrainian political analyst Yevhen Magda, told the Kyiv Independent. "Ukraine must privately persuade the U.S. of the inadvisability of such a move," he said. "Trump's team should understand that no serious Ukrainian politician would accept such a step, and any proposal aimed at satisfying Putin's ambitions would only consolidate Ukrainian society around Volodymyr Zelensky — not weaken it." Magda's sentiment is shared by Ian Garner, assistant professor in totalitarian studies at Poland's Pilecki Institute, who told the Kyiv Independent that if he were "in the room with Zelensky right now," he'd be telling him that Ukraine has to "make every effort to continue to get the Americans back on board." "But we have to plan assuming that America will not only cease to intervene in the conflict, but may actually, whether intentionally or not, advance Russia's aims and Russia's goals," he adds. The rhetoric coming from the White House suggests the Trump administration will have little patience for anything that diverges from the plan they have already set in motion, including whichever proposals are contained within it. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on April 23 that the U.S. presented a "very explicit proposal" to Russia and Ukraine on a peace deal, repeating warnings Washington might drop its peace effort if the belligerent sides refuse. Talking to journalists during a visit to India, Vance said Washington presented a "very explicit proposal" to Russia and Ukraine, adding it is time for Kyiv and Moscow "to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process." Trump put it even more bluntly last week. "If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we're just going to say: 'you're foolish, you're fools, you're horrible people,' and we're just going to take a pass," he said. All of this risks playing into the hands of the Kremlin, with both Moscow and Washington potentially being able to point to Ukraine's refusal to go along with the proposal as the main sticking point of negotiations. "It will be considered as a provocation with a view (for the U.S.) to exit negotiations and to put the blame on the victim of the aggression," Oleksandr Merezhko, lawmaker and chair of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, told the Kyiv Independent. With Ukraine being blamed for the breakdown in peace talks, the U.S. could well follow through on its threat to withdraw, giving Russia what it wanted all along since negotiations began — a free hand to carry on the war. "Unfortunately, Trump's team not only lacks a clear and adequate plan to end the Russian-Ukrainian war — they also fail to understand Ukraine's needs and have, in fact, become a target of reflexive control by the Kremlin," Magda said. With its main supplier of military aid out of the picture, Ukraine's ability to fight back against Russia's full-scale invasion would be largely reliant on Europe, a prospect that is far more realistic than it was just a few months ago, but still unlikely to fill the gap left by Washington in the near-term. Europe has only been discussing sending troops to Ukraine in the context of a peacekeeping force to back up a peace deal, and while it is making moves to ramp up defense spending and production, it will be months if not years until it can supply the weapons Ukraine needs in the quantities that will be effective to push Russia back. "Ukraine has to count on itself and its own resourcefulness," Garner said. Ukraine is producing 30% of the weapons it needs itself, Zelensky said earlier this year, and it has managed to stabilize the front line in the east against a Russian army that is facing its own supply and manpower issues. Garner believes that it is "quite possible and quite plausible" for Ukraine to "hold a defensive line, but added that "it's not going to be easy." "It's going to require continued large-scale sacrifices in terms of lives, in terms of money," he said. In the meantime, he said Ukraine should "continue to advocate for itself, continue to Europeanize, continue to fight corruption, continue to democratize, and to move itself ever further towards its allies in Europe." "Because that's the thing that's going to stop Vladimir Putin, right?' Garner said. 'If the people are Europeanized and liberalized, then they are never going to accept Russian invasion and Russian occupation, whether it's diplomatic, political, economic, cultural or indeed military." Read also: 'Dangerous and cruel' — Trump's reported Crimea proposal sparks horror among Ukraine's lawmakers We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Dangerous and cruel' — Trump's reported Crimea proposal sparks horror among Ukraine's lawmakers
Reports that the U.S. could formally give de jure recognition to Russia's control over Crimea have landed like a bombshell in Kyiv, with lawmakers unanimous in their opposition to such a move, as well as issuing grave warnings about its potential consequences. "(The potential recognition of Crimea's annexation) sets a very dangerous precedent that could plunge the world into numerous wars," Volodymyr Ariev, a lawmaker with the European Solidarity Party, told the Kyiv Independent. "Ukraine should not side with those intending to violate the fundamental principles established after World War II," he added. The Trump administration's final proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine war included U.S. de jure recognition of Russia's control over Crimea, along with de facto recognition of its occupation of other Ukrainian territories, Axios reported on April 23, citing sources. The news supports earlier reporting that the recognition of Russia's occupation of Crimea and a ban on Ukraine joining NATO are being considered as part of a U.S.-backed proposal to end the war. Yelyzaveta Yasko, a lawmaker from the Servant of the People party, told the Kyiv Independent that she "really fears" the question of recognizing Crimea being raised during negotiations. "I don't like it. I cannot imagine us agreeing to this if it's real de jure recognition, if I'm honest. If it was de facto then we could, but de jure is too much" she said. De facto recognition would mean accepting that where Russian troops are in control of Ukrainian territory, at least for the foreseeable future, they remain so. But it would leave open the option of the land returning to Ukraine, potentially by diplomatic means, something President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously acknowledged could be the only way to regain control of Crimea. De jure recognition, however, would be final — an admission that the land in question is under Russian control and will remain so indefinitely. The only means of reversing it would be by force. Russia occupied Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in February 2014. In March 2014, the Russian-controlled Crimean parliament voted to hold a "referendum" to join Russia. The sham voting on annexation was conducted in the absence of any international observers and with armed Russian soldiers present at polling locations. Ukrainian lawmakers who spoke to the Kyiv Independent said recognizing Russia's de jure control of the peninsula is next to impossible. "The Ukrainian Constitution does not provide for the recognition of its territories as being seized by another (country)," Ariev said. According to the Ukrainian Constitution, Crimea is a legally recognized and inseparable part of Ukraine. No acts can be passed by the Ukrainian government that contradict the country's Constitution. The only way Ukraine could legally recognize Crimea as Russian would be to hold a referendum on the issue and put the vote to the people. While recent polling shows the number of Ukrainians willing to make territorial concessions to end the war has risen, a majority still oppose the idea. Further, polling has not specified between de facto and de jure control, with de jure likely to be more heavily opposed than de facto. "No Ukrainian government has a mandate to recognize Crimea as Russian," Halyna Yanchenko, a lawmaker from the Servant of the People party, told the Kyiv Independent. "Any peace agreement that includes such a provision would risk sparking unrest within the country. That's why no Ukrainian leadership would ever agree to it. "And there is simply no chance such a deal would pass a vote in Ukraine's Parliament." Ukraine finds itself in what Zelensky on April 22 described as "a very dangerous moment," with the U.S. threatening to back out of the peace effort if Kyiv doesn't agree to its proposal. Talking to journalists during a visit to India, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that it is time for Kyiv and Moscow "to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process." All of this risks playing into the hands of the Kremlin, with both Moscow and Washington potentially being able to point to Ukraine's refusal as the main sticking point of negotiations. "Ukraine will never agree," Oleksandr Merezhko, lawmaker and chair of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, told the Kyiv Independent. "It will be considered as a provocation with a view (for the U.S.) to exit negotiations and to put the blame on the victim of the aggression." Ariev said that if the U.S. follows through with the move, it could "open Pandora's box globally." "Recognizing territory seized by military means — this would be the first such recognition since World War II — sets a dangerous precedent that could reignite wars in the future, which could potentially reach the scale of World War III," he said. "This is extremely dangerous and cruel." Read also: Ukraine insists on 'immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire,' Zelensky says We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
