RIYADH, February 18. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that he has nothing to add to Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments regarding the possibility of Vladimir Zelensky's participation in the peace settlement process.
"There is no need for me to go into details, as this topic was covered in great depth by President Putin in his recent interview with Pavel Zarubin. I have nothing to add," Lavrov said at a news conference in Riyadh, following talks with US administration officials. This statement was in response to a question about whether Zelensky could expect to participate in the peace settlement process in Ukraine.
In late January, President Putin, responding to a question from VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin, stated that Zelensky was now an illegitimate leader who was unable to lift his own ban on negotiating with Russia. However, he noted that there were ways to do so if there was a desire for it. Putin also emphasized that anyone could negotiate on behalf of Ukraine, but any resulting documents would need to be signed by individuals whose legitimacy was legally confirmed.