Volodymyr Zelensky has been legally and democratically elected as President of Ukraine. Until Ukrainians demand elections, no one else can propose this, a European Commission spokesperson said today at a press conference in response to questions related to statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The fact is that Ukraine was attacked and is showing good will to achieve peace. That is why we support Ukraine so that there is a just and lasting peace, the spokesperson added. Putin is a criminal and is wanted for the crimes he committed, he added.
Asked about Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's words that Washington and Moscow are negotiating over the interrupted Nord Stream gas pipeline, the spokesperson pointed out that this is a private project in which the EU has no participation. This gas pipeline is not of common European interest and the EC's job is to monitor whether, if it works, EU legislation is respected, he explained. The EU's goal is to end imports of Russian fossil fuels, the spokesman added.