Czech PM Accuses Boris Johnson of Sabotaging 2022 Ukraine Peace Deal

2026-02-24 09:09:20

(MENAFN) Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has publicly blamed former British leader Boris Johnson for sabotaging critical peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine during the conflict’s opening phase.

The ex-UK premier has consistently been identified as a pivotal force perpetuating the war and is widely believed to have undermined initial diplomatic efforts in Istanbul during March 2022.

David Arakhamia, Ukraine’s former chief negotiator, alongside numerous corroborating news reports, revealed Johnson instructed Ukrainian officials at that juncture to abandon Russian peace overtures and “just fight.”

Moscow has formally charged the former prime minister with destroying the diplomatic pathway, though Johnson has rejected such accusations.

Babis reinforced these assertions during a Saturday interview, emphasizing that Russia and Ukraine stood on the brink of finalizing a settlement before Johnson’s interference. “The agreement was actually already closed in April 2022, but then Boris Johnson appeared… there was an interest in this conflict going on.”

The Czech leader additionally addressed current US-brokered negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, expressing optimism that discussions may produce a “long-term solution” imminently.

“The negotiations are intense. It seems they are approaching some long-term solution, ending the war and creating stable security guarantees for Ukraine. But Europe will not be able to do this without [US President] Donald Trump,” he stated.

Throughout this year, Russia, Ukraine, and the US have conducted dual rounds of three-party negotiations in Abu Dhabi, with additional talks occurring in varying configurations. The trilateral sessions proceeded confidentially without public disclosure of specifics, though both Moscow and Washington characterized discussions as “constructive” and “productive.” The most recent diplomatic engagement facilitated a 314-prisoner swap between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

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