Even as Vladimir Zelensky is actually not a legitimate president of Ukraine, Moscow is ready to hold talks with him anyway, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The Kremlin spokesman said that the "reality on the ground says that Kiev has to be the first to demonstrate openness and interest in such talks".
"An analysis by our country that has been repeatedly voiced by President Putin shows that Mr. Zelensky has big problems de jure in terms of his legitimacy, but the Russian side remains open to negotiations even despite this," Dmitry Peskov said.
The Russian leader has stated that now that Zelensky’s legitimacy as Ukrainian president has expired, Moscow would need to search for a legitimate authority to sign legally binding agreements with.
Peskov dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement he was ready for direct talks with his Vladimir Putin as "empty words".
Earlier, Zelensky said he is ready to sit at the negotiating table with Russian Presient Vladimir Putin "if that is the only setup."
