Many politicians are alarmed that President Donald Trump is engaging directly in talks with Russia without Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is willing to talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

The Kremlin said Tuesday that Putin would engage with Zelensky, but Moscow questions the Ukrainian leader’s legal ability to negotiate. “Putin himself said that he would be ready to negotiate with Zelensky if necessary but the legal basis of agreements needs discussion considering the reality that Zelensky’s legitimacy can be questioned,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Zelensky was inaugurated in May 2019, with a term that expired in May 2024. However, he has refused to hold new elections. Zelensky argues the country cannot elect a new leader under martial law. 

After talks to end the war failed in April 2022, Zelensky issued a decree that banned his government from engaging with the Kremlin while Putin remained in power. The Ukrainian leader, however, reversed course after Trump returned to the White House. 

Last week, Trump broke from the Joe Biden administration’s policy of allowing Kiev to lead all negotiations with Moscow. He spoke with Putin for an hour and a half before contacting Zelensky, leaving the Ukrainian leader feeling unpleasant. 

Several American and European politicians have expressed concern that Trump appears to be negotiating with Putin without consulting NATO and Ukraine first. Brussels and Kiev have taken hardline positions, including keeping membership in the bloc as a possibility and refusing to cede any territory to Russia. 

Members of the Trump administration have suggested those issues will be on the table in negotiations with the Kremlin. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov led delegations for a summit in Saudi Arabia. Both sides say progress was made during the talks.