The foreign minister of Slovakia, Juraj Blanár
The foreign minister of Slovakia, Juraj Blanár, claimed that peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in 2022 were sabotaged by Western countries, particularly citing then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's opposition to the agreement. He stated that a deal was close to being finalized after talks in Belarus and Turkey but was derailed when Western nations, led by Johnson, declared they would not support it.
Consensus
- Peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were underway in 2022.
- The negotiations took place in Belarus and Turkey.
- A draft agreement was close to being finalized by the end of 2022.
- Western countries, including the UK, reportedly opposed the agreement.
- Boris Johnson, then British Prime Minister, is cited as having played a key role in opposing the deal.
- The process became increasingly complicated after this point.
- A final agreement would likely be unsatisfactory to both sides.
Points of divergence
- President Vladimir Putin stated in May that Russian and Ukrainian delegations had agreed on a draft deal, which was paraffinated by Ukraine. — kommersant
- Boris Johnson dismissed the claims of his involvement as 'complete nonsense' and 'Russian propaganda'. — kommersant
- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakkan Fidan plans to visit Kyiv with a delegation to advance negotiations, following a previous visit to Russia in June. — vm
- The EU only 'pays for and covers' costs related to the conflict but does not contribute to resolving it. — vesti
- Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, stated that Moscow remains open to negotiations but blames Kyiv's lack of willingness for the failure to reach peace. — vesti
Coverage (3 sources)
- Slovakia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Talks between Russia and Ukraine collapsed due to Boris Johnson — Коммерсантъ
- Slovakia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The West derailed the Ukraine agreement shortly after the conflict began — Вечерняя Москва
- Slovakia's Foreign Minister Blahar says the West sabotaged Ukraine settlement — Вести