Kremlin says Russia is open to talks with Ukraine while Zelenskiy is in power but needs more details

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin signalled on Thursday it was open to negotiations with Ukraine on ending the conflict while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy remains in power despite publicly doubting his legitimacy to rule.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday during a visit to China that Kyiv was prepared for talks with Russia provided Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity were fully respected, though he said that Ukraine has seen no sign of that.

The Kremlin, while signalling its readiness for talks on its own terms, has publicly called into question Zelenskiy’s mandate to rule, pointing out that his five-year term in office expired in May and that he should have called an election.

Zelenskiy and the West say it is necessary to suspend normal political rules at a time of war and that the Kremlin, given Russia’s own tightly-controlled political system, is in no position to criticise.

When asked on Thursday whether Russia would be ready to hold talks with Ukraine while Zelenskiy was in power, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters:

“Russia is generally open to a negotiation process. But first we have to understand how ready the Ukrainian side is for this and how much the Ukrainian side has permission for this from its handlers.”

Moscow depicts Zelenskiy as a U.S. puppet, a characterisation he rejects.

“Because so far you see very different statements being made, and it is not quite clear yet. Besides, in addition to the problem with Zelenskiy’s legitimacy, there is also a problem with a (Ukrainian) legal ban on having any contacts and negotiations with the Russian side. Therefore, there is still a lot to be clarified and clarifications to be heard,” said Peskov.

Pressed during a conference call if the Kremlin could envisage negotiating with Zelenskiy or categorically ruled out such a possibility, Peskov said:

“The question is not an easy one. From a legal point of view this problem (of his legitimacy) is on the agenda, but from a practical point of view we are open to achieving our goals through negotiations. Therefore, different options are possible here.”

Reuters reported in May that Putin was ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire but the Kremlin chief was prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West did not respond.

Putin in June said Russia would end the war in Ukraine, something he calls a special military operation, only if Kyiv agreed to drop its NATO ambitions and hand over the entirety of four provinces claimed by Moscow, demands Kyiv swiftly rejected as tantamount to surrender.

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Andrew Osborn)