The unsigned agreement focused on Ukraine’s neutrality and offered it security guarantees
Moscow and Kiev could use a tentative agreement reached in talks in Istanbul early in the Ukraine conflict as a basis for further engagement, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
The Russian leader was referring to a draft document that was on the verge of being formally concluded in the Turkish capital in the spring of 2022. He said last year that under its terms, Ukraine would have committed to “permanent neutrality,” receive certain security guarantees and downsize its military. However, Moscow says that the talks were derailed by then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who allegedly advised Kiev to “keep fighting.” Johnson has denied the accusation.
Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, Putin reiterated that Russia – unlike Ukraine, which he said refused to engage with Moscow on direct orders from the West – has never closed the door to peace talks.
”The Istanbul agreements… have not gone away, they were initialed by the head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation, which obviously means that Ukraine was quite satisfied with them,” he said, thanking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for helping to broker the deal.
“These agreements remain on the table and could serve as the basis for continuing those talks.”
