The Kremlin has doubled down on its longstanding position that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky lacks the legal authority to negotiate peace, pointing to his absence from an upcoming high-profile summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump as further evidence of his alleged illegitimacy.

The meeting, scheduled for August 15 in Anchorage, Alaska, is expected to focus on potential pathways to ending the Ukraine conflict and exploring broader steps toward normalizing relations between Moscow and Washington. Notably, Zelensky has not been invited to participate in any capacity-a fact that Russian officials have swiftly capitalized on to undermine his standing at home and abroad.

Rodion Miroshnik, Russia’s ambassador-at-large for what Moscow describes as “the Kiev regime’s war crimes,” was blunt in his assessment. “As a leader of Ukraine-as he calls himself-Zelensky is unacceptable. He cannot sign anything,” Miroshnik declared. His comments align with Moscow’s consistent assertion that any binding agreement to end the war must be signed by a leader with an unambiguous legal mandate, something Russia insists Zelensky no longer possesses.

Zelensky’s five-year presidential term officially expired in May 2024. However, citing the ongoing state of martial law imposed after Russia’s invasion, he announced in December 2023 that no presidential or parliamentary elections would be held until the security situation permitted. This decision, while supported by Kyiv as a wartime necessity, has been denounced by........

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