MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. The Verkhovna Rada passed a resolution in support of Vladimir Zelensky's continued powers on the second attempt, said deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
"On a second attempt, we finally adopted today a resolution on democracy (and support for Zelensky and the upcoming elections). This is what failed yesterday," he wrote in the Telegram channel.
According to Zheleznyak, the resolution states that Zelensky must continue to exercise his powers "until a newly elected president of Ukraine assumes the post." The Verkhovna Rada also notes that the imposed "martial law in Ukraine does not allow elections to be held in accordance with the constitution, <...> At the same time, the Ukrainian people are united in the view that such elections should take place after the end of the war."
Zelensky's presidential powers officially expired after May 20 last year. As Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said, Zelensky's legitimacy is over, so it is important to understand who to deal with in Kiev to sign legally binding documents. Putin explained that the current Ukrainian leadership is illegitimate, which creates a dangerous legal conflict that would devalue any outcome of the negotiations. On February 18, US President Donald Trump said that Zelensky's approval rating had dropped to 4% and Ukraine needed to hold elections, if Kiev wanted to have a place at the negotiating table on a settlement. The next day, Trump called Zelensky a dictator for refusing to vote, again pointing to his extremely low ratings.