MOSCOW. April 1 (Interfax) - The Kremlin will analyze the situation before declaring its stance on Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's expiring term of office, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"I would not jump the gun. The statement of the term is absolutely right. Indeed, in May the term of office of the incumbent [Ukrainian] president expires. Then, we will look into the situation and make an analysis in order to declare our position," Peskov told reporters on Monday.
Zelensky was elected president of Ukraine in 2019. His term of office expires on May 20, 2024. By constitution, the Ukrainian president is elected on the last Sunday of March the year the office of the incumbent president expires. No election was held this year. Kiev made the decision due to martial law, which bans elections. Media said that the Ukrainian Constitutional Court might clarify the situation.
Responding to a question on whether Russia would recognize Zelensky as the legitimate president of Ukraine upon the expiry of his formal term of office, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper on March 28, "Let us wait and see what happens on May 21. We may not need to recognize anything."