Head of Zelensky’s Party: Ukraine Could Have Accepted Russia's Peace Plan

The Ukraine's conflict could have ended as early as spring 2022 if Ukraine had agreed to neutrality, said Davyd Arakhamia, the head of Mr. Zelensky’s Servant of the People party.

He stated that Russia needed a commitment from Kiev not to join NATO. Ukraine did not agree, since at least, it would have required changing the constitution, Arakhamia said.

Answering the question about why Ukraine refused to agree to Russia’s conditions, Arakhamia replied that this decision was also influenced by the British Prime Minister.

"Moreover, when we returned from Istanbul, Boris Johnson came to Kiev and said that we would not sign anything with them at all. And 'let’s just fight', he said" stated Arakhamia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting with an African delegation on June 17, 2023, that a draft on "the treaty on permanent neutrality and security guarantees for Ukraine" had been discussed during spring talks.

Arakhamia in 2022 was a member of the Ukrainian delegation in negotiations with Russia. The first round of negotiations took place on February 28, 2022 in Belarus, the second at the end of March in Istanbul.