Kharkiv Oblast governor denies Russian claims of capturing Dvorichna Italian parliament extends military support for Ukraine through 2025 SBU says it dismantled Russian spy network targeting F-16 jets Government dismisses Deputy Defense Minister Klimenkov amid procurement tensions Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated his claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is "illegitimate" and said that he has no right to sign any documents in potential peace negotiations,

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that his country could hold peace talks with Ukraine, but ruled out speaking directly with President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he called "illegitimate".

Ukraine's fighting forces are still badly outnumbered by their Russian adversaries. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Vladimir Putin has refused to directly engage with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him “illegitimate”. The Russian president said Ukraine will have to find a legal way to hold the peace talks as Kyiv has not held any elections since Russia started the war on its smaller neighbour.

Putin told Russian state television that negotiations with Ukraine were complicated by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's "illegitimacy" in remaining in power beyond his mandate with no authority to sign documents.

Russian President Putin argues Ukrainian leader Zelensky lacks legitimacy to sign peace deals, citing expired presidential terms and a 2022 decree banning negotiations. Zelensky counters, accusing Putin of avoiding talks to prolong the war and dismissing Russia’s claims of his illegitimacy.

In the past, the Russian president said that any peace deal should respect the “realities on the ground”, hinting that Moscow wants to keep all the territories it currently occupies in Ukraine. View o