MOSCOW, May 30. /TASS/. Western countries will not allow Kiev to hold negotiations with Moscow, even if the former wants to do so, a Russian military analyst told TASS.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his preliminary view was that the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament), and its speaker were the only legitimate power in Ukraine. However, Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said that Vladimir Zelensky will remain Ukraine’s president until the end of the martial law.

"As regards the real desire, any desire on the part of Ukraine to hold talks, well, I don’t see such a possibility right now," said Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of National Defense magazine. "The West has quite a close influence on Ukraine. The political elites in Ukraine are currently poised to continue the military confrontation. The West will not give us such an opportunity, and nobody at this stage will propose that we negotiate peace," he added.

Zelensky’s five-year powers as Ukrainian president expired on the night of May 20. Kiev insists that a presidential election cannot be held amid the martial law imposed by Zelensky himself.