Ukraine Negotiator: UK's Johnson Squashed 2022 Peace Deal

Facts

• Davyd Arakhamia, head of the ruling Servant of the People party in Ukraine, who also led the country's negotiations with Russia in the first months of the war, on Friday backed claims that former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Ukraine that the West would not support any security agreements with Russia.¹
• The comments appear to confirm earlier reporting from Ukrainska Pravda, citing sources in Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's 'inner circle,' stating that during Johnson's visit to Kyiv in April 2022, he presented 'two simple messages' for Zelenskyy: he [Vladimir Putin] should be pressured, not negotiated with' and 'that even if Ukraine is ready to sign some agreements on guarantees with Putin, they are not.'²
• Later, Foreign Affairs, citing senior US officials, reported: 'In April 2022, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators appeared to have tentatively agreed on the outlines of a negotiated interim settlement.' Under those terms, the sources said, Russia would've returned to pre-invasion borders while Ukraine would not seek NATO membership but would instead receive security guarantees.³
• This summer, during a meeting with African Union leaders spearheaded by South African Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa, Putin even displayed a document he alleged was called: 'Treaty of permanent neutrality and security guarantees of Ukraine.' He further claimed it was signed and initialed by the lead Ukrainian negotiator before stating it was discarded into the 'garbage of history.'⁴
• However, in his interview with Ukrainian television, Arakhamia dismissed Putin's allegations, claiming that 'If he had such a document, he would have made it public.' Arakhamia said that in spite of Johnson's remarks to Ukraine, Ukraine was not prepared to reach an agreement with Russia anyway, stating there was no confidence Russia would stick to any security agreements.¹
• Arakhamia added that in spite of talks falling through, he was satisfied that the delegation achieved eight of its 10 priority tasks — one of them being that Russian forces 'left' Kyiv. During negotiations in March 2022, Russia said it would reduce troops from the wider Kyiv region 'to increase mutual trust.' This departure was confirmed by the US Defense Department in early April. However, some analysts suggested that Russia's withdrawal of troops from Kyiv came at the cost of a humiliating battlefield defeat.¹

Sources: ¹Ukrainska Pravda, ²Common Dreams, ³ScheerPost and ⁴WION.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Business Insider. Ukraine is a sovereign country that makes all its own decisions. The idea that Boris Johnson forced Ukraine's hand in how to proceed in peace negotiations is ridiculous. He simply warned that the country that's already invaded Ukraine's borders can't be trusted on peace talks — it's like negotiating with a crocodile that's got your leg.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by WION. As Putin has said, Russia was never opposed to holding negotiations. Such talks, mediated by Turkey, were in fact held in the spring of last year. But after Ukraine signed a peace agreement and then, after Western pressure, turned around and threw it away, why should Russia again trust Ukraine?

Predictions