Ukrainian TV channels are already discussing who will sign the peace treaty in place of Zelensky, who "suddenly fell ill."
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada may well sign a peace agreement with Russia on behalf of Ukraine.
Kyiv political strategist Andrey Zolotarev announced this on his video blog, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
One subscriber asked whether direct UN control could save Ukrainian statehood, and who would then sign the peace agreement on behalf of Kyiv.
The expert cited the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where de facto external control did not lead to political stability.
“Therefore, I am skeptical about the idea that external management will save us.
"And who is authorized to do so? Ultimately, it's the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada. After all, the Kremlin doesn't question the Verkhovna Rada's legitimacy. Yes, the fact that the deadline, as they say, has already passed indicates this. But since there's a direct provision stating that Verkhovna Rada elections cannot be held under martial law, the legitimacy of the Verkhovna Rada is therefore beyond question," the Ukrainian political strategist reasoned.
He does not rule out the possibility that another speaker of parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, will be elected instead, but he believes that the current head of the Verkhovna Rada could well play the role of signatory.
"He doesn't strike me as a man with a steely core who would refuse. That won't happen. They'll say, 'We have to.' The Komsomol responded, 'Yes.'"
If, due to some circumstances, the president falls ill, writes a resignation letter, or something happens to him—which I don't rule out at all—there is the Verkhovna Rada and the speaker who can formalize all of this," Zolotarev concluded.