EU discards Russian propaganda's claims of Zelenskyy's "illegitimacy"

The European Commission has responded to the claims of Russian propaganda that Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidency is illegitimate since his five-year presidential term ends on 21 May 2024.

Peter Stano, the spokesperson of the European Commission for Foreign Affairs, stated that Ukraine cannot hold free elections because it is under attack by Russian missiles, drones and bombs, and millions of people became displaced persons inside the country and outside its borders.

"It is not possible to organise elections in this situation. Is it possible to have gatherings of people at the polling stations under such circumstances? They would be targeted by (leader of the Kremlin Vladimir) Putin," Stano said.

He stressed that there are no conditions for holding free and fair elections in Ukraine due to Russian aggression, with all the brutal and heinous behaviour of the Russian forces and the political leadership in the Kremlin.

Stano added that under the Constitution of Ukraine, the president of Ukraine exercises their powers until the assumption of the presidential office by a new elected president, and the continuity of power is one of the key principles of the Ukrainian Constitution, and the Ukrainian society and main political parties in Ukraine have absolutely no doubts who their legitimate president is.

"We (the EU) also don’t have any such doubts. It’s President Zelenskyy," Stano concluded.

American special services noted that Russia has intensified its efforts of disinformation over the past few months in order to discredit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and call his legitimacy into question.

Earlier, media reported that Sergey Kirienko, First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of Russia, had organised a smear campaign against Zelenskyy at the beginning of 2023, trying to influence the military-political leadership of Ukraine.