Russian leader Vladimir Putin has declared his readiness for talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but refuses to recognise the current Ukrainian president as legitimate for signing any agreements.

Source:Putin during a meeting with representatives of global news agencies, as reported by RIA Novosti, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency

Details: Putin claimed during his speech that Russia supposedly does not rule out the possibility of peace talks and that he personally is "ready to meet with everyone", including Zelenskyy. However, Putin stated that, in his view, Zelenskyy does not have the legal authority to sign any international documents.

"It does not matter to us who conducts the talks, I am even ready to meet. But when it comes to the final stage... the signature must be that of a legitimate authority," Putin said, implying that he considers the current Ukrainian president unfit to conclude international agreements.

Explaining his position, Putin once again referred to the alleged provisions of Ukraine's Constitution, where he claimed it states that Zelenskyy's powers have expired.

Putin stated that Ukraine is allegedly a "presidential-parliamentary republic" in which "all bodies of power are formed by the president", which, in his opinion, automatically casts doubt on the legitimacy of the entire Ukrainian government.

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