MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. Washington and Brussels are ignoring the illegitimacy of power in Ukraine, where elections need to be held to elect a president, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin.

"As of now, Ukraine has no legitimate head of state. Orders to the armed forces are given by a man who seized power. Therefore, it is necessary to hold elections in Ukraine so that citizens determine who they will have as president. Washington and Brussels are ignoring the issue of the legitimacy of power in Ukraine. They are trying to downplay it," he said on Telegram.

According to the speaker, Russian lawmakers share the view of Russian President Vladimir Putin that Vladimir Zelensky can’t represent Ukraine at any talks as his presidential powers had run out. Volodin said that achieving peace will require that legitimate, responsible politicians, who are capable of implementing agreements and fully realizing what they are doing, come to power in Ukraine and its allies.

"We, for our part, need to do everything to achieve the goals of the special military operation set by President Putin," he said.

At his end-of-year news conference earlier, Putin called the current Ukrainian authorities illegitimate. According to the president, if someone goes to the polls and gains legitimacy, then Russia will talk to that person, including Zelensky. Ukraine, if it wants to follow the path of peaceful settlement, is able to organize the process inside the country, he said.