Putin queries political legitimacy of Ukraine’s President Zelensky in absence of elections

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin queried the political legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 17, when asked about the absence of plans to hold a presidential election in Ukraine at the moment.

Martial law imposed after Mr Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022 means Mr Zelensky will not face an election when his term technically expires later in May, something he and Ukraine's allies deem to be the right decision to take at a time of war.

When asked at a news conference in China during a state visit whether Mr Zelensky's political legitimacy was becoming an issue, Mr Putin, who was

re-elected for a six-year term

in March, said the matter was a question for Ukraine's constitutional court and political system to decide.

But he said the question mattered to Russia because if and when it signed some kind of agreement with Ukraine in future about the war it wanted to be sure it was signing a deal with the right person.

"If it comes to signing documents, we should sign those documents in such a crucial area with the legitimate authorities," said Mr Putin, whose own re-election Washington has said was neither free nor fair in comments which Moscow rejected. REUTERS