Ukrainian FM hits back at Lavrov's Zelenskyy illegitimacy claims, cites Putin's 21 years

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated this.

"We recognize him as the de facto head of the regime... When it comes to signing legal documents, everyone must have a clear understanding that the person signing is legitimate. According to Ukraine's Constitution, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is currently not legitimate," the diplomat said.

"We cannot meet just to take photos and give him the opportunity to claim that he is legitimate. After all, legitimacy is a separate issue. Regardless of when this meeting might take place (and it should be well prepared), the question of who will sign the document on the Ukrainian side is very important," he added.

In turn, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, commenting on Lavrov's statement, wrote: "Nothing is more absurd than a lecture on legitimacy from someone who has sat in his chair for 21 years, serving someone who has been ruling for more than 25 years. He has no legitimacy to talk about legitimacy."

"Such deceptive statements show that Russia rejects peace efforts," the minister added.

• In the same interview, Lavrov said that Ukraine will have the right to exist only if it renounces Crimea and Donbas.