Trump Defends Zelenskyy After Russian Legitimacy Claims
(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed recent Russian accusations challenging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as mere “posturing.”
“It doesn’t matter what they say. Everybody’s posturing. It’s all bulls -,” Trump told reporters after a White House Cabinet meeting that lasted over three hours.
Trump’s comments came in response to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s Sunday remarks, in which Lavrov questioned Zelenskyy’s legal standing.
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is ready to meet with Zelenskyy when the agenda would be ready for a summit,” Lavrov told media. “Legitimacy is another matter.”
Lavrov elaborated, “We recognize him (Zelenskyy) as the de facto head of the regime, and in this capacity, we are ready to meet with him. But when it comes to signing legal documents...we would need a very clear understanding by everybody that the person who is signing is legitimate and, according to the Ukrainian Constitution, Mr. Zelenskyy is not at the moment.”
Lavrov also revealed that Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s willingness to pursue direct peace negotiations with Kyiv during his recent call with Trump, emphasizing that a high-level summit between Putin and Zelenskyy “must be very well prepared.”
During a meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15, Trump proposed that the two leaders might engage in direct talks aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff told the Cabinet that negotiations on the Ukraine crisis are scheduled for this week, expressing hope to end the war by year-end.
Earlier Tuesday, Zelenskyy confirmed plans for talks this week with countries potentially hosting a summit involving Russia.
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