Vladimir Putin claims he was ready to end war 18 months ago but Boris Johnson scuppered deal by telling Ukraine leaders it was ‘better to fight Russia’
Vladimir Putin outrageously claimed last night that he was lectured to sign a deal to end the war with Ukraine 18 months ago, but Boris Johnson threw the deal into disarray.
The Russian president sensationally claimed that the former prime minister had advised the leader of Ukraine’s leading party against signing the document, saying it was “better to fight Russia.”
Mr Putin claimed negotiations were taking place in Istanbul and that Ukraine had signed the deal but withdrew under pressure from Mr Johnson, who said it was “better to fight Russia”.
The despot made the stunning accusations during the highly anticipated two-hour sit-down interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
He claimed that Davyd Arakhamia, the head of Ukraine’s Ruin Party, put his “provisional signature” on the deal after direct negotiations with Russia in Istanbul.
Vladimir Putin outrageously claimed last night that he was read into signing a deal to end the war with Ukraine 18 months ago, but Boris Johnson threw the deal into disarray
The despot made the stunning accusations during the highly anticipated two-hour sit-down interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson
The Russian president sensationally claimed that the former prime minister had “discouraged” the leader of Ukraine’s leading party from signing the document, saying it was “better to fight against Russia.”
Mr Putin said: ‘But then he (Arakhamia) publicly declared to the whole world that we were ready to sign this document, but Mr Johnson, then Prime Minister, came to stop us from doing so and said it was better to to fight against Russia. .
“They would give everything we needed to give back what was lost during the clashes with Russia. And we have agreed to this proposal’.
Putin continued: “And the fact that they are heeding the demand or belief of Mr. Johnson, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain, seems ridiculous.
‘And it is very sad for me because, as Mr Arakhamia put it, we could have stopped those hostilities with a war a year and a half ago. But the British convinced us and we refused. Where is Mr. Johnson now? And the war continues.’
He accused the US of telling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to refuse to negotiate a deal and said he wanted to reach a settlement.
“And we made it,” he said.
“We prepared in Istanbul the huge document that was initialed by the head of the Ukrainian delegation. He had signed some provisions, not all provisions. He signed it and then said himself: we were ready to sign it, and the war would be over long ago. Eighteen months ago.
‘However, Prime Minister Johnson came to talk us out of it and we missed that opportunity. Well, you missed it. You made a mistake. Let them get back to that.’
Putin was allowed to go unchallenged for a long time as he gave an extensive history lesson on Russia dating back to the year 800.