Vladimir Zelensky. An archive photo courtesy of the Office of the President of Ukraine
MINSK, 24 May (BelTA) – The legitimacy of Vladimir Zelensky staying in office of the Ukrainian president is in doubt. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the relevant statement for reporters after negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Minsk on 24 May, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “There is no and there can be no juridical purity here because there is ‘deep democracy’ over there. You have to understand it. Everything has been suppressed over there. I or us are often criticized that we are dictators. Someone else gets the blame as well. This is democracy for you: neither the Constitutional Court nor other courts can say anything. This is why there is no and there can be no juridical purity in this situation.”
At the same time the president believes that the situation has no effect on key matters: the matters of war and peace. “I don’t think either the current president or the future one will tackle these major issues that the state of Ukraine or the people of Ukraine face. You know who will call the shots: a lot has already been decided across the ocean, they will make decisions on the rest of the matters later on,” he stressed.
“I have made a profound analysis of Vladimir Aleksandrovich [Zelensky]’s powers for my own sake. Now I understand that all of it is futile,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.
The president pointed out that a lot of political forces have always existed in Ukraine and each of them sees itself as a hero. “Once again they have ‘democracy’ over there. There are plenty of people over there among the military and among civilians, who are willing to lead the country in new ways to war or against the war. But the situation is developing the way we know it is. I think this year will determine a lot. A great deal. We’ll wait and see what happens. We are in no rush. Neither is Russia. We have a common stance. We don’t hide it,” the Belarusian leader concluded.
