Kuleba denies rumors of Ukraine-Russia peace deal in spring 2022, allegedly rejected by Ukraine
In the spring of 2022, Ukraine and Russia allegedly almost reached an agreement on the cessation of hostilities, but it ultimately fell through. It is speculated that Kyiv's decision was influenced by London.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba again denied the rumors about this on his X account.
"This is one of the favorite lies promoted by Russia and its sympathizers to shift the focus… and blame," the Ukrainian minister said.
As Kuleba noted, the Kremlin constantly reminds the story that Ukraine "rejected peace" in Istanbul to blur the focus and shift all the blame for the ongoing war from itself to the country it attacked.
"This is absurd. If Russia wanted peace, it would not attack Ukraine in the first place," the minister emphasized.
The Ukrainian official recalled that at the beginning of the Russian invasion, meetings were held between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations. However, the parties' positions "were so different, and Russia's demands were so absurd that the prospects of any real solution were not even visible."
"Those draft documents that were leaked to the media only reflect that the discussion took place, but they cannot be considered the true text of the agreement. Every diplomat knows the principle that "there is no agreement until everything is agreed upon." And it can be said with absolute certainty that in March—in April 2022—there were no agreements," the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized.
Kuleba also noted that the idea of a meeting and negotiations between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine was indeed discussed, but the Russian Federation rejected it.
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
Moreover, Kuleba categorically denied the assumption that Ukraine then refused the "peace agreement" with Russia, allegedly under the influence of the then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. During his visit to Kyiv, he reportedly pressured Zelensky and urged him not to accept concessions from the Kremlin.
"This is a very funny story. Firstly, anyone who has ever met with Zelensky knows that he is not a person who can be pressed for any decision. Secondly, the negotiations between the delegations continued in April and even in May—that is, long after Johnson's arrival," the head of the department said.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Zelensky and Johnson are not to blame for the collapse of the potential agreement, only Russia's dictator, Vladimir Putin.
"He destroyed peace in Ukraine for more than a decade – first by occupying Crimea, then by creating obstacles in the "Minsk" and "Normandy" negotiation formats, then by starting a full-scale aggression and refusing to stop it…
Only together can we stop Russia and put an end to its plans for other parts of Europe. To achieve this, continue to support Ukraine and do not buy into Russian lies," Kuleba concluded.
It should be noted that at the end of April, Die Welt published a peace agreement that Ukraine and Russia could have sign at the beginning of the war. The publication pointed out that a peace agreement could be concluded a few weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The terms of the end of the war were spelled out in a draft agreement on 17 pages, which the parties agreed on April 15, 2022. Russia demanded from Ukraine:
- neutrality;
- limiting the number of military personnel, weapons, equipment and aviation;
- the occupied territories were to remain with Russia.
For reference:
As Rubryka reported, on April 20, the Kremlin announced that it had handed over a document with "absolutely clear wording."
"Our draft document, which includes absolutely clear wording, has been handed over to the Ukrainian side. The ball is in their court. We are waiting for a response," said the Russian president's press secretary.
At the same time, Peskov once again stated that "the Ukrainian side constantly deviates from its previously given agreements, its words, and constantly changes them."
As Rubryka later wrote, President Volodymyr Zelensky did not confirm that Ukraine had received a draft document from Russia as part of the negotiations on ending the war.
"I am sure that nothing was handed over to us," Zelensky emphasized.
He also commented on Dmitry Peskov's words, "the ball is in Kyiv's court."
"In principle, I used to play football quite well. What are the rules there: there must be two teams, and there must be a ball. Here, it seems to me that Peskov is playing football with himself. We will definitely show how we hit on the goal as soon as they give us the ball," added Zelensky.
Later, on May 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that negotiations with Ukraine had ended.
