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

The European Commission has responded to a Russian propaganda claim that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not the legitimate president of Ukraine because his five-year presidential term ended on 21 May 2024.

Source: Peter Stano, European Commission spokesperson for foreign affairs, at a briefing on 21 May, cited by European Pravda

Details: Stano stated that Ukraine cannot hold free elections because it is under attack by Russian missiles, drones and bombs, and millions of people have become displaced persons internally and abroad.

"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 [Kremlin leader Vladimir] Putin," Stano said.

He stressed that holding free and fair elections in Ukraine is impossible 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 Ukrainian Constitution, the president of Ukraine exercises their powers until the presidential office is assumed by the new elected president. Continuity of power is one of the key principles of the Constitution, and the public and main political parties in Ukraine have absolutely no doubts about who their legitimate president is.

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

US intelligence agencies have noted that Russia has stepped up its disinformation efforts in recent months to discredit President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and call his legitimacy into question.

Earlier, there were media reports that Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of Russia, organised a smear campaign against Zelenskyy in early 2023 in an attempt to influence Ukraine’s military and political leadership.

Support UP or become our patron!