Remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscow’s readiness to negotiate with Ukraine should it have a legitimate leader appeared more aimed at the West than Kiev, Ivan Timofeev, program director of the Valdai Club, has told RT.

During his end-of-the-year press conference on Thursday, the Russian president expressed a readiness to negotiate with Ukraine to settle the conflict. However, he reiterated Moscow’s view of Vladimir Zelensky as an illegitimate leader, who has no power to sign any agreement, even if he wished to do so. 

“If the first person himself is illegitimate, then everything else also loses its legitimacy in terms of executive authorities and law enforcement agencies,” Putin stated. “And everything they do, by following his orders, they know full well that they are accomplices in this illegal activity.” 

Kiev would be able to fix the legitimacy vacuum by holding a proper presidential election, Putin suggested. “If someone runs for election [and] gains legitimacy, we will talk to anyone, including Zelensky,” he said. 

The president’s remarks appeared to be primarily aimed at the Western backers of Kiev rather than Ukraine itself, Timofeev believes. 

“This is a rational position that shows others, primarily the West, which supports Kiev, that we are predictable negotiators, rational, and we have our own interests,” he explained, adding that Putin signaled a readiness to take “certain draft agreements” as a starting point for potential talks rather than “unrealistic, inflated maximalist demands.”

However, Kiev has grown increasingly dependent on its Western backers and would have to listen to what they say, the expert said. Still, it remains unclear whether the West will take Putin’s call into consideration, Timofeev noted. 

The impending return of US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House should not be seen as a “magic bullet” of any sort, Timofeev warned. Repeated pledges by the incoming American leader to resolve the Ukraine conflict should be treated cautiously, and it still remains to be seen whether he will be able to deliver on them. 

“Trump really does say that the issue must be resolved, that peace is needed. The question is on what terms,” Timofeev said. 

“If Trump were president for the first time, I would even have more hope. But already was president. And during his presidency, for example, there was no progress on Donbass. Moreover, the American position even somewhat hardened. There are no guarantees that this will not happen again, especially since the situation is much more severe now,” he added.