Germany backs Zelenskyy as Ukraine's legitimate leader amidst war
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated on Tuesday in Kyiv that Germany recognizes President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the legitimate head of state after his five-year term, as Ukraine cannot conduct presidential elections due to the ongoing war.
8:43 PM EDT, May 21, 2024
The president's term ended on Monday. According to the Ukrainian constitution, the president remains in office until new elections are held. In Ukraine, public consensus indicates that now is not the right time to organize new elections.
Zelenskyy's term has ended only formally
Annalena Baerbock, a Green Party politician, emphasized that similar provisions exist in the constitutions of many other countries, including Germany. According to these provisions, elections cannot be held during a state of war.
Baerbock stated that Russia is playing a "perfidious game," undermining President Zelenskyy's mandate.
We wrote about a special disinformation operation conducted by Russia here:
"This is a very low game: that it is those who started the war and made elections impossible, those who are bringing a narrative about the alleged illegitimacy of the president to the world, since he allegedly was not re-elected."
Putin prevented elections in Ukraine
In this way, she expressed her expectations for further German cooperation with President Zelenskyy.
Foreign Minister Baerbock also pointed out that "Ukraine wants to live in a free, non-occupied country." She noted that the Russian dictator, waging a brutal war in violation of international law and occupying part of Ukraine, prevented this.
