Sealing a peace accord with Ukraine is “legally impossible” at present, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated. He stressed that while Moscow would like to ink such an agreement eventually, the current Ukrainian leadership has lost all legitimacy by canceling elections.

Wrapping up his state visit to Kyrgyzstan with a press conference on Thursday, Putin stated that “it makes no sense to sign documents with the Ukrainian leadership – I have covered this topic many times already.”

According to the Russian president, “the Ukrainian leadership made a fundamental, strategic mistake, when it was afraid to hold elections.”

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky “lost his legitimate status” as the country’s president, Putin pointed out.

Under Ukrainian law, presidential elections should have been held in May 2024; however, Zelensky refused to hold them, citing martial law. Moscow has considered him an illegitimate leader since.

Putin noted that while Russia is also locked in a military conflict, it nevertheless held presidential elections in March 2024.

The Russian president said that should any peace agreement be signed, the Ukrainian leadership would have to lift martial law and “immediately call elections.” However, as things stand at present, “the Ukrainian leadership could hardly count on an [electoral] victory without rigging” the vote, Putin observed.