DISINFO: Signing agreements with Ukraine's illegitimate leaders defies logic
SUMMARY
Since the Western and Ukrainian press realize that today is the last day of (Zelensky’s) legitimate stay in power according to his country’s constitution, any potential mediators should take this into account; signing any documents with leaders who have lost their legitimacy defies logic.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aimed to defame president Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian leadership to absolve Russia from its responsibility for suspending the democratic process in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s constitution is straightforward: no elections can be held during wartime and the President of Ukraine exercises his powers until the assumption of office by the newly-elected President. The continuity of government institutions is one of the key principles of the Constitution.
While the date 20 May 2024, five years after president Zelenskyy taking office, has arose some domestic controversy in Ukraine, almost all observers consider regular elections unfeasible as there are millions of refugees abroad, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians serving on the frontlines and a significant part of Ukrainian population lives under Russian occupation. There are also multiple funding and infrastructure problems that can hardly be addressed while the war is ongoing.
See similar disinformation cases that Zelensky is illegitimate and therefore Russia is directly fighting the West, that the Ukrainian people have not confirmed the legitimacy of Zelenskyy, that Zelenskyy is usurping power by cancelling elections, and that Ukrainian leaders cannot be negotiated with because they are illegitimate criminals and terrorists.