Moscow, Jun 19: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he was ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a "final phase" of negotiations but again questioned his Ukrainian counterpart's legitimacy.

"I am even ready to meet him (Zelensky) but only if it is some kind of final phase," he said at a press conference with foreign media in St. Petersburg.

Russia wants to end the war in Ukraine "as soon as possible," preferably through peaceful means, and is ready to continue negotiations — provided that Kyiv and its Western allies are willing to engage, Putin added.

He also added that he is ready to meet with Zelensky and "Russia does not care who represents Ukraine in negotiations, but insists that any final agreement must bear the signature of legitimate authorities".

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are prepared to resume direct talks after June 22, Putin said.

"I am ready to meet with anyone, including Zelensky," Putin said. "That is not the issue. If Ukraine entrusts him to negotiate, let it be Zelensky. The real question is: who will sign any resulting documents? We are not dealing with propaganda here; when it comes to serious matters, what matters is not political messaging but legal legitimacy."

Putin also said that if no peaceful resolution is reached, Russia will pursue its objectives in Ukraine by military means.

"Undoubtedly, if we fail to reach an agreement through peaceful negotiations, we will achieve our goals by military means," he added.

He reiterated that the aim of Russia's special military operation is the demilitarisation of Ukraine, depriving it of the capacity to maintain military forces that could endanger Russia.

The Kremlin has long sought to portray Zelensky as "illegitimate" in an attempt to discredit Kyiv.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on February 18 that Putin, who has ruled Russia for more than 20 years, is ready for talks with Zelensky, but "legal aspects related to his legitimacy" must be considered.

Ukraine's allies had generally ignored this narrative until US President Donald Trump appeared to echo the Kremlin's lines claiming that Zelensky was a "modestly successful comedian" turned "dictator" who "refused to have elections".

Ukraine has not held elections during Russia’s full-scale invasion because they are legally prohibited under martial law, which was declared on February 24, 2022, just hours after the war began.

Ukrainian law also mandates that elections must be safe, equal, and uninterrupted—conditions that are impossible to meet amid ongoing Russian attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.

Putin also told US President Donald Trump on June 14 that Moscow is ready to hold a new round of peace talks with Kyiv after June 22, following the completion of prisoner and fallen soldier exchanges.

Asked if he would be willing to speak with Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the Russian President said that "if the Federal Chancellor wants to call and talk, I have already said this many times — we do not refuse any contacts".

"And we are always open to this... They stopped, let them resume. We are open to them," Putin said, adding that he, however, questions Germany's role as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war: "I do doubt if Germany can contribute more than the US as a mediator in our negotiations with Ukraine. A mediator must be neutral. And when we see German tanks and Leopard battle tanks on the battlefield... and now Germany is considering supplying Taurus missiles for attacks on Russian territory... — here, of course, big questions arise."

(IANS)

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