ST. PETERSBURG, June 7. /TASS/. Russia is still inclined to negotiate with Kiev but it needs to understand who has the required degree of legitimacy to negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf, Russian Deputy Foreign Minsiter Mikhail Galuzin told TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Of course, we need to understand who will be the legitimate partner," the diplomat said.

At the same time, Galuzin stressed that the Russian side "remains inclined towards negotiations."

"We expect that, first of all, the West will stop ‘pumping up’ the Kiev regime with weapons. We also expect Kiev to lift the self-imposed ban on negotiations with us," the deputy foreign minister said.

Ukraine is actively discussing the issue of the legitimacy of the government in the absence of parliamentary and presidential elections, which cannot be held during martial law. In particular, Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) lawmaker Alexander Dubinsky said that the powers of the Ukrainian president, according to the constitution, expired on May 21, and there is no legitimate way to extend them. The country's former ambassador to the UK Vadym Pristayko acknowledged that Kiev's Western partners are also concerned about the end of Zelensky's presidential term.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the issue of Zelensky's legitimacy after May 20 should be resolved by Ukraine's political and legal systems. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with TASS that Zelensky was violating the laws of his own country in an attempt to hold on to power after his term expired.