Zelensky says Putin is ‘afraid’ of peace talks on Ukraine

Every move Vladimir Putin makes is aimed at making the war in Ukraine “endless”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X on Tuesday night in response to Putin calling Zelensky “illegitimate” and ruling out direct negotiations with him earlier that day.

“Putin once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders, and does everything possible to prolong the war”, Zelensky said, adding that while there was a chance to “achieve real peace”, Putin was “doing everything in his power” to continue the war or secure a pause to “prepare for a new full-scale invasion”.

Zelensky urged Ukraine’s allies to remain united in their support for Kyiv and reiterated his call to secure “peace through strength”, stressing that “true peace is possible if Russia is forced into it”.

Zelensky’s comments followed Putin’s televised interview with Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin on Tuesday, in which he claimed that while Moscow was ready to “negotiate with anyone”, Zelensky had “no right to sign anything” as Russia considered him an “illegitimate” president. “If he wants to take part in the negotiations, I will send people to take part”, Putin said.

Ukraine must rescind Zelensky’s order banning negotiations with Moscow before talks can begin, Putin added, noting that this could be done by the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament as Zelensky could not do it himself due to his “illegitimacy”.

Russia has widely used the claim that Zelensky is an illegitimate president following Kyiv’s decision to postpone presidential elections originally scheduled for the spring of 2024 until martial law is lifted in the country. The accusations mirror similar claims made about Putin’s rule following reports of unprecedented levels of voter fraud during Russia’s presidential election in March.