The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) shared its analysis.Analysts note that Putin has openly declared he does not recognize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as legitimate, thereby undermining the foundation for any future peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.According to ISW, during a speech to journalists in Beijing on September 3, the Russian leader incorrectly claimed that the Ukrainian Constitution has “no ways to extend the powers of the president” and argued that Zelenskyy’s mandate had allegedly expired because his five-year term ended in 2024."Putin described Zelensky rather as the ‘current head of the administration’ and claimed that a meeting with Zelensky would therefore be ‘a road to nowhere.’ Putin claimed that a bilateral meeting is nonetheless possible, but that Zelensky should come to Moscow. Putin has repeatedly flaunted an inaccurate reading of the Ukrainian Constitution to falsely claim that Zelensky is not the legitimate president of Ukraine - claims that ISW has repeatedly shown to be inaccurate," the report said.Therefore, analysts continue to believe that Putin's claims about Zelenskyy's illegitimacy reflect his lack of interest in a peaceful settlement and set the stage for Russia to reject any future peace agreement signed with the Ukrainian president. They also noted that in May 2024, Russian state media reported that the Russian Interior Ministry had added Zelenskyy to its wanted list for unspecified reasons, “a report that puts a very different color on Putin's ostensible invitation to Zelensky to come to Moscow, considering that Putin has said he does not recognize Zelensky's legitimacy,” the analysts emphasized.The Russian leader claimed he was supposedly ready to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — but only if Zelenskyy comes to Moscow. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called this a manipulation by Putin.