Debate About Ukrainian President’s Legitimacy May be Moot After May 20 — Lavrov

The top Russian diplomat also pointed to Zelensky’s decree banning him from holding talks with the Russian leadership

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

© Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

MOSCOW, March 28. /TASS/. Talk about Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s legitimacy may be moot after his term expires on May 20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"As for the May 20 deadline and what will happen on May 21, let’s wait and see. Perhaps, we won’t need to recognize anything," he said in an interview with the Izvestia daily.

Lavrov also pointed to Zelensky’s decree banning him from holding talks with the Russian leadership. According to the top diplomat, Russian President Vladimir Putin "has made numerous statements on the matter, highlighting our readiness to engage in serious negotiations." "However, in order to make sure that this process is taken seriously or at least ensure that there is hope for it to be serious, he told Zelensky’s Western sponsors: let him first revoke the decree. This issue has been brought up before," Lavrov noted.