“So far I see no point.” This was among Vladimir Putin’s comments regarding Volodymyr Zelensky’s letter proposing a meeting between the two leaders to end the war. However, the Russian president, speaking at the Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, mentioned that he was shown the letter yesterday, but “didn’t have the opportunity to examine it in detail”.
Read: Ukraine: Zelensky requests personal meeting with Putin
Putin: “Holding power outside the constitution is called usurpation of power”
Indeed, according to Sky News, throughout the interview the Russian president referred to Zelensky not by name, but as “the author of this letter.” As he stated, this morning he “glanced at it”, while highlighting certain points, such as his age, saying that age is important, but what matters most is doing the job correctly. “The main thing is whether someone is capable and can work. Some of my colleagues, who are older than me, seem to have abundant energy. Whether they do their job well or poorly is another matter, that’s a political judgment”.
He didn’t fail to mention the presidential elections in Ukraine that should have taken place in 2024: “Then I noticed the point about how long someone holds an elected position. This is an important issue, of course. You must go to elections, not be afraid of them, and always act within the constitution.
Holding power outside the constitution is called usurpation of power. This is a criminal offense. So there’s no reason to be afraid. Go to the elections. I would advise everyone to do this. Especially since in Ukraine they said elections would happen soon, and then for some reason everyone went silent. It’s not clear why”.
Putin rejects meeting with Zelensky
He also mentioned that a Russian businessman met with Zelensky in Kyiv and added that he has never refused to meet with the Ukrainian president, but doesn’t see the point in meeting just for the sake of meeting. “What we need are agreements and arrangements, not for six months or one year, but long-term, but first we must reach a solution, and that’s the essence of the matter,” he explained.
When pressed to answer whether he would meet with Zelensky, he said: “So far I see no point”.
