Peskov: Russia wants peace even if Zelensky is not legitimate president

Russia wants to move towards peace in Ukraine despite the belief that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not a legitimate leader, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he considers Ukraine's leadership illegitimate because Zelensky's elected term has expired. Ukraine says it cannot hold new elections under the constitution during martial law.

A few days ago, US President Donald Trump presented Ukraine with a 28-point peace plan. However, during negotiations last weekend in Geneva, the plan was whittled down to 19 points.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the negotiations as progressive and probably the best since Trump took office in January this year. Secret talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi also followed.

On Thursday, Zelensky confirmed that the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations will sit at the same table again later this week, with him joining them next week. He stressed the readiness of Ukrainian officials for "meaningful work."

However, his bureau chief Andriy Yermak specified that Zelensky would refuse territorial concessions as long as he is president.

(reuters, max)