Lavrov repeats Kremlin propaganda, demands elections in Ukraine as condition for peace deal

“We’ll see who holds legitimacy in Ukraine’s government,” Lavrov said with characteristic cynicism.

He went on to suggest that Ukraine’s constitution allows for the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada to be considered a potential signatory to a peace agreement.

Lavrov also repeated the assertion made by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy supposedly “lacks legitimacy.”

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry legal department chief Maksim Musykhin claimed the Ukrainian people must “elect new leadership” in order to sign any memorandum with Russia.

On May 19, Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump that Russia was supposedly ready “to work with Ukraine on a memorandum concerning a potential future peace agreement.” According to the dictator, the document could include “principles for a settlement, a timeline for a possible peace deal, and even a temporary ceasefire if appropriate agreements are reached.”

However, the Financial Times, citing sources, reported that Ukraine had no knowledge whatsoever of any such “memorandum on a potential future peace deal.”

A senior Ukrainian official familiar with the matter responded to the proposal with open skepticism: “No one knows what this is, what it’s for, [or] why it should matter.”

Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters late on May 19, said he had not been informed of any memorandum proposal.

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