{"id":2231,"date":"2025-08-24T13:12:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T13:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/?p=2231"},"modified":"2025-08-29T13:49:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T13:49:10","slug":"zelensky-cant-sign-peace-deal-moscow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/24\/zelensky-cant-sign-peace-deal-moscow\/","title":{"rendered":"Zelensky can\u2019t sign peace deal \u2013 Moscow"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Ukrainian leader\u2019s presidential term ended more than a year ago<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Russia is open to talks with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky given that he is the \u201cde facto head of the regime\u201d<\/em> in Kiev, but any deals could only be signed by a legitimate representative of Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. <\/p>\n In a rare interview with NBC aired on Sunday, Lavrov did not rule out direct talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky \u201cprovided this meeting is really going to decide something.\u201d<\/em> However, the necessary groundwork for such talks, the foreign minister stressed, has not yet been done. <\/p>\n Lavrov acknowledged that Zelensky is the \u201cde facto head of the regime\u201d<\/em> but said that \u201cthe issue of who is going to sign the deal on the Ukrainian side is a very serious [one],\u201d<\/em> he said. \u201cWe would need a very clear understanding by everybody that the person who is signing is legitimate.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Ukrainian leader\u2019s presidential term ended more than a year ago, and he has refused to hold a new election, citing martial law. Russia has since proclaimed him \u201cillegitimate.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n