Officials in Kiev have criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to create an interim government in Ukraine under the leadership of the United Nations, writes "Politico".
Putin proposed the "interim administration" be introduced to hold democratic elections that would bring to power a government that enjoys the people's trust and can then negotiate a peace treaty, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Friday.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian government's center for countering disinformation, criticized the plan as part of Moscow's efforts to stall peace talks because it has no real intention of ending its full-scale invasion.
"Putin is doing everything he can to slow down and derail any progress towards peace because he has no interest in ending the war. That's why he keeps making these wild demands and proposals," Kovalenko wrote on Telegram.
"The way to limit his options is through tougher economic sanctions against Russia and by strengthening Ukraine. "I hope by Easter it will be clear whether Russia will stop the fighting," he added.
Ukrainian law does not allow elections during martial law, which was declared on February 24, 2022, when Russia began its all-out war.
Dmytro Lytvyn, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, recommended that the Russian leader come to his senses.
"If Putin is again having trouble figuring out who to contact to make serious progress toward ending this war, maybe he should just take a few pills to give his brain a boost - assuming such pills still have any effect on him," Litvin wrote in a post on X.
Putin's comments came shortly after US President Donald Trump himself admitted that Russia "could drag out" a full ceasefire with Ukraine. Trump's team has been trying for weeks to negotiate terms for a ceasefire, but Putin refuses to back down from his maximalist ambitions for Ukraine.