KYIV, Oct 4 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a decree on Tuesday formally declaring the prospect of any Ukrainian talks with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin "impossible", but leaving the door open to talks with Russia.
The decree formalised comments made by Zelenskiy on Friday after the Russian president proclaimed four occupied regions of Ukraine to be a part of Russia, in what Kyiv and the West said was an illegitimate farce.
"He (Putin) does not know what dignity and honesty are. Therefore, we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with another president of Russia," Zelenskiy said on Friday.
Ukrainian forces have broken through Russian defences in the south of the country and expanded a rapid offensive in the east, seizing back territory in areas annexed by Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February.
Putin, who turns 70 this week, has dominated Russia's political landscape for more than two decades and could run for office two more times under constitutional reforms he presided over, potentially remaining in power until 2036.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register
Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Writing by Tom Balmforth, Editing by Timothy Heritage
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
justJimBob316 on October 4th, 2022 at 11:14 UTC »
Vlad "the desperate" will be remembered ad infinitum as the destroyer of the Russian empire.
Baphometwolf83 on October 4th, 2022 at 10:59 UTC »
Putin started a war with someone he thought very little about and now he is paying for it
Buroda on October 4th, 2022 at 10:47 UTC »
I love the Kremlin’s reply to this, “guess we’ll have to wait for a different president in Ukraine”. Isn’t it cool when a president is an elective position, huh? Bet they wonder how that is like.
But aside from that, the chances of Putin keeping his seat longer than Zelensky (who, I am sure, will leave the position as per his country’s laws when his time will be up) are slim.