Trump administration rejects Putin's proposal that the U.N. should govern Ukraine
The White House on Thursday dismissed Russia's Putin's suggestion that peace talks in Ukraine depend on it being governed by the UN while elections are held.
The White House on Thursday dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin's suggestion that peace talks in Ukraine should depend on the country being governed by the United Nations while new elections are held.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to a Russian nuclear submarine in Murmansk, the largest city north of the Arctic Circle, Putin reiterated his claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's mandate is illegitimate.
With the United Nations, the United States and European nations, "we could discuss the possibility of introduction of temporary governance in Ukraine,” Putin said, while Ukraine holds “democratic elections, to bring to power a capable government that enjoys the trust of the people.”
But a White House national security spokesperson dismissed Putin’s proposal, saying that Ukraine’s government was determined by its constitution and citizens, Reuters reported.
Damaged buildings in Kostyantynivka, eastern Ukraine, on March 17.Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty ImagesWhile Zelenskyy's term expired last year, Ukrainian Constitution states that elections cannot be held during wartime. Still, Putin, who has ruled Russia for all but four of the past 25 years via elections widely considered illegitimate, has repeatedly questioned Zelenskyy's mandate.
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