Russia invented a new 'reason' to refuse negotiations - ISW.

The Russian narrative about the illegitimacy of the Ukrainian government

The Russian narrative about the illegitimacy of the Ukrainian government is spread with the aim of potentially allowing the Kremlin to refuse negotiations. Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) state that Putin and other Kremlin officials refer to Zelensky as an illegitimate leader according to the Constitution of Ukraine, and also consider the Ukrainian governments since 2014 as illegitimate.

Information about this has been released in the ISW report, which also notes that Russian officials have been spreading this narrative for almost a month to create the conditions for refusing Ukrainian-Russian agreements. American war researchers believe that any peace agreement must include the recognition by Russia of the legitimacy of the President, government, and Constitution of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Constitution and laws of Ukraine clearly state that while martial law is in effect, elections cannot be held, and the government cannot lift martial law as long as there is a threat to the state independence and territorial integrity of the country.