Aydın Sezer, Turkish political analyst and former Turkish trade representative in Moscow, believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks about the illegitimacy of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky could push Western countries to start a discussion about Zelensky's authority.
US President Donald Trump could initiate such discussions, Sezer suggested.
The West has never raised the issue about the de facto cancellation of presidential elections in Ukraine, Sezer pointed out. In addition, the West is unwilling to discuss the illegitimacy of Ukrainian authorities. He described this approach as a manifestation of double standards.
"After all, if they talk about democracy, they should remove Zelensky from the game, as he has lost the legal right to govern the country," Sezer stated.
He speculated that, in light of Putin's comments, a discussion about Zelensky's legitimacy could indeed begin in the West in the coming days.
"Who knows, maybe Trump himself will initiate it, and we will enter an interesting period," the political analyst suggested.
Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Federation Council's Committee on International Affairs, believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly revealed the political truth about the illegitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Vladimir Putin simply stated a fact. Indeed, Zelensky's term has expired, yet he continues to make bold and brazen decisions, including fateful and strategic ones. This raises serious questions," Karasin said in a conversation with lenta.ru publication. "It is still unclear how the European Union, the West, and others will react to this, but everyone must understand that we are dealing with an illegitimate leader who pretends that nothing has happened," Karasin added.
Putin Reminds of Zelensky's Illegitimacy
On January 28, Putin once again pointed out that Zelensky would not be a legitimate leader to sign any documents. Russia is willing to find a way to engage in dialogue with Zelensky if the latter has such a desire.
"But if he wants to participate in negotiations, I will assign people to conduct those negotiations," he noted.
Putin also reminded that after the Ukrainian president's term in the office ends, his functions are transferred to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. The Chairman, in turn, can revoke Zelensky's decree that prohibited Ukraine from negotiating with Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky was a "legitimate president" when he signed that decree, but now he could not revoke the document "because he was illegitimate."
"But in principle, if they want to do it, there is a legal way," Putin added.
Zelensky responded to the statements that Putin made in his Jan. 28 interview.
"Today, Putin has once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders," Zelensky said and once again called for increased pressure on Russia to achieve peace through force.