DISINFO: Zelenskyy is an illegitimate leader and cannot sign a peace deal with Russia
SUMMARY
Zelenskyy, whose term officially ended in May 2024, has no legal authority to sign any agreements with Russia, a situation exacerbated by a 2022 decree banning negotiations with Moscow. According to the Ukrainian Constitution, the president cannot extend his term even under martial law; that prerogative belongs only to the parliament, the Supreme Rada.
This makes Zelenskyy an “illegitimate” leader and, therefore, incapable of signing agreements that would ensure the long-term security of either Ukraine or Russia.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives targeting Ukraine’s leadership, aimed at undermining president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia has always portrayed Zelenskyy as an obstacle to its goals in Ukraine, even since before the invasion. One of the targets of the invasion in February 2022 was the murder of Zelenskyy and the decapitation of the Ukrainian government to install a pro-Russian leadership.
Zelenskyy is the legitimate president of Ukraine.
Although Zelensky’s stay in power after his initial mandate expired in May 2024 generated some domestic controversy, 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. 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.
The ultimate goal of this disinformation story is to promote the idea that the negotiations will take place sooner or later, but not with Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself. This pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aims to create an impression of strength ahead of any possible peace negotiations with Ukraine.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Russia will not negotiate with illegitimate puppet Zelenskyy, that Zelenskyy is illegitimate and therefore Russia is directly fighting the West, that the prolonged war allows Zelenskyy and his junta to maintain their positions of power, that Zelenskyy and the Kyiv junta need to continue the war against Russia to enrich themselves with Western aid, or that Zelenskyy staged a coup d'état for fear of losing the 2024 presidential elections.