Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that it makes “no sense” to sign documents with the Ukrainian government, stating that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “lost his legitimate status” when he postponed elections due to the war. He pointed out that Russia held elections in 2024 despite the conflict.
Putin said that martial law must be stopped as soon as a peace deal is signed and elections in Ukraine must be called. The peace plan proposed by the Trump administration contained a clause requesting that Ukraine hold elections within 100 days of a deal, while the European version of the plan calls for elections to be held “as soon as possible.”