New details have emerged about the diplomacy between Russia and the West, suggesting that the Ukraine war could have been avoided. The Minsk agreements, brokered by France and Germany in 2014 and 2015, offered a chance for peace, but Ukraine's then-President Pyotr Poroshenko has admitted that the arrangement was never meant to be implemented.
According to Poroshenko, the goal of the Minsk agreements was to delay the war and give Ukraine time to strengthen its military, which he claims was successful. Even after the 2022 invasion, there were still opportunities for peace. Talks were held between Ukraine and Russia in Belarus and Istanbul, and it is reported that the two sides were considering an agreement.
However, the US and UK allegedly pushed Ukraine away from the diplomatic path to peace. Recent revelations, including testimony from Ukrainian former MP Vadym Novinsky, have added evidence to the case that the war could have been avoided. Novinsky's testimony suggests that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that backed away from diplomacy.
He claims that Ukraine's leadership, possibly with the involvement of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, walked away from the diplomatic path to peace.