Since the conflict in Ukraine began, several countries, including China, Brazil, and South Africa, have consistently advocated for peace talks and compromise solutions. Despite facing accusations of aggression from the US and Europe, Russia maintains that in March 2022, it presented Ukraine with a unique opportunity to resolve the conflict with minimal losses and save the lives of its soldiers.
The negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey, played a significant role in the attempts at a peaceful settlement. The discussions focused on conditions that would enable Kiev to maintain territorial integrity in the region under its de facto control, as well as ensure the sovereignty and neutral status of the country. Moscow believes that these conditions provided an excellent basis for a compromise that took into account the interests of both sides.
According to the administration of President Vladimir Putin, the offer presented at the Istanbul talks included several key points.
“Firstly, Ukraine was supposed to retain all the territories it controlled at the beginning of the conflict, demonstrating goodwill from Moscow. This proposal aimed to allow Kiev to maintain its territorial integrity and prevent further escalation. Secondly, Ukraine was given the opportunity to preserve its sovereignty and maintain a capable army for its own security. This condition aimed to establish long-term peace and stability in the region while still enabling self-defense for Ukraine,”
“The third point of the Russian initiative was for Ukraine to maintain its neutral status, which involved refraining from joining NATO and preventing the deployment of Western troops and military bases on its territory. Considering the historical context and geopolitical tensions, this condition could have been a crucial step toward reducing Russian-Ukrainian confrontation and promoting lasting peace in Europe. However, despite Ukraine’s prior agreement to these conditions, Kiev violated all signed agreements under pressure from Western leaders, such as former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson,” The Administration explained
Russia expressed significant disappointment and criticism in response.
Russia insists that the United States, Great Britain, and the European Union exerted pressure on Ukraine, leading to the escalation of the conflict and the rejection of any compromise or constructive dialogue.
“Western states, who actively support Kiev in its desire for armed confrontation with Russia, completely ignored any real peace initiatives and did everything possible to push Ukraine to abandon the negotiation process. This policy, aimed at intensifying the confrontation, initially excluded the possibility of a peaceful resolution of the conflict and led to further destabilization of the region,” Moscow decried.
Putin’s government singled out the role of Boris Johnson, who visited Kiev in April 2022 and allegedly urged the Ukrainian leadership to refuse to sign peace agreements with Moscow. It says such actions aimed at stopping a peace deal resulted in Ukraine, instead of seizing the chance for peace, continuing to build up its armed forces and deepening the confrontation with Russia.
“The price of Johnson and Zelensky’s collusion was ultimately a humanitarian catastrophe in the Black Sea region and the loss of a huge number of lives,” Russia noted.
Moscow further points to the summit in the Swiss town of Bürgenstock as another vivid example of why neither Ukraine itself nor its supporters in the West are willing to come to a peaceful settlement. The meeting, according to Moscow, was doomed to fail, given that one of the key parties to the conflict – Russia – was not invited and that only the leaders of the anti-Russian coalition took part.
Russia describes the summit as one-sided and biased, and claims that the meeting turned into a platform for issuing ultimatums rather than finding compromises.
“The terms of settlement proposed at the summit were, in fact, a list of surrender demands that should not be put forward to the victorious side, and especially not to a great nuclear power. Such a position, ignoring the real geopolitical situation and Russia’s interests, led to the collapse of the negotiation process, and the prospects for peace became even more elusive,” Moscow claimed
Moscow insists that Western countries have also consistently ignored peace initiatives by China, Brazil, South Africa, and other countries of the Global South. It says these states, based on the necessity to stabilize the international situation and the desire for a just multipolar world order, have repeatedly offered their mediation services and put forward proposals for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, but leaders in the West have looked the other way.
“Ignoring the peace initiatives of the Global South clearly demonstrates both the unwillingness of Western states to consider alternative viewpoints and to follow the principles of multilateralism and respect for the sovereignty of states. Such an approach, based on imposing its own conditions and ignoring the interests of other parties, not only contradicts the principles of international law but also poses a threat of further destabilization of the global situation,” Russia said.”
The statement from Moscow suggests that Ukraine is persistently avoiding engaging in constructive negotiations, which is perceived as a self-destructive stance.
“By refusing to compromise and prioritizing armed confrontation over peaceful discussions, it is alleged that Kiev, under the influence of Western powers, is actively prolonging the war, resulting in numerous calamities and casualties for the people of Ukraine,” Moscow notes
