Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Tuesday that due to the martial law in force in Ukraine, his term as President of Ukraine continues. He stated this in an interview with "Reuters", quoted by "Ukrinform".
"My five years are not over yet. They continue due to martial law," noted Zelensky.
The president added that he was glad that he "was the president of a people who did not turn their backs, did not run anywhere, but defended everything they could.
"Independence does not come without trials. It's a pity that they are so defiant," stressed Volodymyr Zelensky.
We remind you that the legitimacy of the mandate of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is determined by the Constitution of Ukraine and the Law on the Legal Regime of Martial Law, so there are no legal grounds to doubt the legitimacy of the President after May 20.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk stated that the next presidential elections will be held within 60 days after the lifting of martial law.
However, Russia's position on the issue is different. The Russian authorities have already publicly stated several times that for them Zelensky is not the president of Ukraine after May 20 and there will be no negotiations with him.
All mediators for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine should take into account the fact that the powers of Volodymyr Zelensky as president expire on May 20, after which signing any documents with him loses its meaning. This was indicated on Monday by the permanent representative of Russia to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya.
Zelensky, as the head of a hostile regime, is a legitimate military target for Russia, regardless of the question of his legitimacy after the annulment of the election. This was stated by the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev.
For Russia, the final loss of legitimacy from the pseudo-president of the former Ukraine will not change anything. Zelensky already heads a political regime hostile to Russia, which is waging war against us, he stressed.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the political legitimacy of the Ukrainian leader.
His statement was in response to a question at a press conference in China about the lack of plans to hold presidential elections in Ukraine at the moment.
Zelensky also explained on Tuesday why he does not want the participation of Russia in the "summit meeting for peace", which will be held on June 15-16 in Switzerland.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine does not want Russia to interfere with the process.
Putin will be brought into the talks through mediators at the next stage, the president of Ukraine said. According to him, the idea is to work out a common position of the parties on the three key issues under discussion, and then inform Russia of the decision.
"These three points, if all countries support, as I said, then they will develop a technical plan step by step and then present it, transmit it, communicate with representatives of Russia on different platforms in different countries. And then Russia will have to answer to the majority of the world," Zelensky explained.
Russia has long announced that it has no intention of participating in this meeting, even if invited.
The Ukrainian authorities expect participation in the summit not only from Western countries that have been partners of Ukraine since the beginning of the war, but also from a number of countries from the Global South that adhere to neutrality.