President Donald Trump rebuked Russian claims that the Kremlin will not sign a peace agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump responded after the U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was asked for his reaction to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s assertion that Russian President Vladimir Putin will never strike a deal with Zelensky due to the Ukrainian leader being “illegitimate.”
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“It doesn’t matter what they say. Steve can answer, but I can answer too,” Trump interjected. “It doesn’t matter what they say. Everybody’s posturing, it’s all bull****. Okay? Everybody’s posturing.”
Trump then turned the question to Witkoff, who replied, “I agree with you, sir.”
Lavrov acknowledged Zelensky as the “de facto head of the [Ukrainian] regime” over the weekend in an interview with NBC News. He told the host that Russia is “ready to meet with him” but that signing an agreement with someone they view as “illegitimate” would be a different matter.
“When you come to a stage, when you have to sign documents, we would need a very clear understanding by everybody that the person who is signing is legitimate,” the foreign minister said. “And according to the Ukrainian Constitution, Mr. Zelensky is not at the moment.”
Russia remains irritated that Zelensky has continued to govern Ukraine past the end of his five-year term, which expired in 2024.
The Ukrainian Constitution delays all government elections during times of war, when the country is held under martial law. This has been the case since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The Ukrainian Parliament voted to affirm Zelensky’s legitimacy earlier this year.
The Trump administration requested that the Ukrainian and Russian leaders hold a meeting to discuss the details of a peace agreement, specifically the division of territory currently occupied by the opposing nation.
Zelensky has affirmed Ukraine’s willingness to meet with Putin at any point, but the Kremlin continues to dodge confirming a bilateral meeting.
In his own interview with NBC News’s Meet the Press, Vice President JD Vance emphasized that Russia has accepted that Ukraine will not be governed by a “puppet regime.”
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“What they have conceded is the recognition that Ukraine will have territorial integrity after the war,” Vance said. “They’ve recognized that they’re not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv. That was, of course, a major demand at the beginning.”
European allies have expressed skepticism over the chances of Putin agreeing to sit down with Zelensky in good faith, while Trump remains hopeful.