Russia’s top diplomat says Zelensky can’t sign Ukraine war peace deal because he’s ‘illegitimate’

WASHINGTON — Russian leader Vladimir Putin cannot not sign a peace deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky because Moscow views him as “illegitimate,” Moscow’s top diplomat said Sunday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the declaration in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” suggesting that Putin will not be able to make an agreement with him.

The Kremlin has used similar rhetoric in the past, but the stark remarks come as President Trump is coordinating with Putin and Zelensky to meet face-to-face for the first time since the onset of the war to sign a permanent peace deal.

“Irrespective of when this meeting might take place, and that must be very well prepared, the issue of who is going to sign the deal on Ukrainian side is a very serious issue,” Lavrov claimed.

“We recognize him 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 very clear understanding by everybody that the person who is signing is legitimate.”

Russia has been calling for elections in Ukraine as Zelensky has not been up for re-election since 2019, given secure elections can not take place with the ongoing war against Russia. Putin has been president of Russia since 2000, having stepped back for one term in 2008-2012 to have his ally Dmitry Medvedev serve.

Lavrov’s remarks are in direct opposition to what Vice President JD Vance said in his interview on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, in which he said the Russians agreed in their conversation with Trump in Alaska that Zelensky is the rightful leader of Ukraine.

“They’ve recognized that they’re not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv, and importantly, they’ve acknowledged that there is going to be some security guarantee to the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Vance said of the concessions Russians agreed to in Anchorage.