Zelenskyy denies claims of Johnson’s pressure on peace talks with Russia: This does not correspond to logic
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied claims that former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had allegedly disrupted a peace deal with Russia in 2022.
He said this in an interview with The Guardian, Censor.NET reports.
"There have been several approaches with ultimatums, and I have never agreed to them," the president said.
Zelenskyy clarified that Johnson had nothing to do with his decisions. "This does not follow logic; why should he have dissuaded us?" - he said. According to the president, after the meeting in Istanbul in March 2022, the real pressure to sign a peace deal had already passed, and Russian forces were pushed out of the Kyiv suburbs before Johnson arrived in Ukraine in April.
"Putin really likes this story about Turkey, these meetings," Zelenskyy added, commenting on rumors about Johnson's role in ensuring that the peace deal was not signed. The President also noted that the conditions demanded by Russia during the negotiations were unacceptable: "I said: this cannot be, it violates the rights of our citizens, the Constitution. It would be a complete betrayal, we will not obey Putin's ultimatums."
Zelenskyy emphasized that the timing of Johnson's visit does not make sense for claims of pressure on Ukraine: "You can imagine that at a time when it was very difficult for us, we would be ready to agree to anything. We are being blackmailed, Johnson comes and says: we are with you, hold on, don't give in to Russia. You can imagine it somehow." However, he said, by the time Johnson arrived, Russian forces had already been driven out of the Kyiv suburbs: "When Johnson arrived, we were walking around Kyiv together."
