Accusations against Ukraine that it allegedly did not want to sign a peace deal with Russia in 2022 in Istanbul are absurd, according to Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, on Twitter(X).
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the story of the "failed peace" is one of the favorite fakes of Russia. However, if you look more closely at the facts, such rumors do not withstand any criticism.
Ukraine and Russia were close to a peace deal in spring 2022 but Ukraine rejected it? This is one of the favorite lies promoted by Russia and its sympathisers to shift the focus… and blame. However, a closer look at the facts reveals that the whole story does not hold water. pic.twitter.com/uaWh8pTdIS
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) May 14, 2024
According to Kuleba, through such stories, Russia aims to shift responsibility from the aggressor to the victim.
"Absurd. If Russia wanted peace, it should never have attacked Ukraine in the first place," the minister added.
He clarified that during the negotiations in 2022, Russia's demands were so absurd that "the prospect of a real solution was not even remotely in sight."
Kuleba also commented on the documents leaked by Western media. He emphasized that they are evidence of the negotiation process, but they don't hold much significance as there was no agreement reached at that time.
The minister confirmed that a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin was discussed, but Moscow did not want to organize it.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs refuted absurd rumors that Ukraine had refused negotiations with Russia under the influence of Boris Johnson, who was the Prime Minister of Britain at the time.
"First, anyone who has ever met President Zelenskyy knows that he’s not the person who can be pressured into any decision. Second, because the process of talks between delegations actually continued throughout April and even May- well beyond Johnson’s visit, it doesn't really match the story, does it?" Kuleba explained.
It was precisely Russia's position that prevented the countries from reaching a peaceful agreement, the minister added.
What preceded
Previously Russia repeatedly accused Ukraine of allegedly failing to achieve peace due to its position in 2022. They also concocted allegations against former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Recently, the news agency WELT allegedly released the text of a draft peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. The document, in particular, provided for Ukraine's permanent neutrality.
At the same time, according to the draft agreement, Moscow refused to withdraw its troops from the occupied Crimea, as well as from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
