https://dailysceptic.org/2022/09/01/did-boris-scuttle-talks-between-ukraine-and-russia/One of many places
Did Boris Scuttle Peace Talks Between Ukraine and Russia?
Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have been frozen since July, and there’s no indication they’re about to restart. However,evidencehas emerged that talks in early April bore fruit – only to be scuttled by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
On 8th April (shortly after Russian forces withdrew from Kiev) Johnsonmadea “surprise visit” to Ukraine’s capital, where he met with President Zelensky. At the meeting, Johnsonpledgedhis “unwavering support” to Ukraine and promised another $130 million worth of “sophisticated weaponry”.
Yet according toUkrainska Pravda(a pro-Western newspaper in Ukraine) pledging supportwasn’tthe only reason for Johnson’s visit. “Sources close to Zelenskyy” told the newspaper that Johnson was an “obstacle” to peace talks because he’d brought “two simple messages”.
This was reported back in May, and was hardly mentioned (if it all) in Western media – perhaps because of scepticism about its veracity.
Fast forward to August, and anarticleinForeign Affairsby the self-describedRussia hawkFiona Hill claims that April’s talksdidyield a “tentative” agreement:
In the end, of course, no such agreement was reached. But the timing suggests it wasJohnson’s visitthat scuppered the talks.
As the writer Branko Marceticnotes, this interpretation is bolstered by aWashington Postarticle from the end of March, which described a “mixed” US reaction: “Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed skepticism about the talks in Turkey, saying Moscow’s continued military offensive leaves little room for optimism.”
Did Johnson scuttle the talks because he and his American counterparts had concluded, after Ukraine’s initial success on the battlefield, that Putin could be beaten? It’s a real possibility.
However, we should remain sceptical for the time being. Bothpro-Russianandpro-Ukrainiancommentators have expressed doubt that the “tentative” agreement would have led anywhere. According to writer Anatoly Karlin, a Russian nationalist: “all negotiations fake until proven otherwise”.
In addition,Ukrainska Pravdamentionsanother “obstacle” to talks aside from Johnson’s visit: “the revelation of the atrocities” committed by Russian forces. So even if there was an agreement, Johnson’s visit may not have been the crucial factor that nullified it.
Nonetheless, the possibility that war could have been over by April if not for the actions of Britain’s Prime Minister is certainly alarming – particularly given the ongoing energy crisis. New revelations may yet emerge, so watch this space.
Stop Press:According to a longerarticleinUkrainska Pravda, Johnson said, “if you are ready to sign any agreements on guarantees with him, then we are not. We can with you, but not with him, he will still abandon everyone”. This suggests Johnson was concerned that Russia would not respect the agreement.
