On a visit to his Belarusian ally, Putin questions Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as Ukraine’s leader

By JIM HEINTZ
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited his Belarusian counterpart and close ally for talks in Minsk. After their meeting on Friday, Putin questioned in remarks to reporters whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy would have the legitimacy to negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf in potential peace talks. According to Putin, Zelenskyy’s five-year term in office was supposed to end May 20. However, Zelenskyy has ruled out holding new presidential elections while his country is at war — something Putin apparently ignored while speaking to teh media in Minsk. Ukrainian legislation bans elections during martial law that has been in place since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. The country would have to amend the law to elections during a state of war.