Mounting evidence proves that we cannot believe anything our officials say about the futility of negotiations.
by Branko Marcetic, Responsible Statecraft
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to deny the war in Ukraine could have been ended mere months into the Russian invasion — and that the U.S. and U.K. governments worked to prevent this from happening.
The latest piece of corroboration comes courtesy David Arakhamia, the parliamentary leader of Zelensky’s “Servant of the People” party who led the Ukrainian delegation in peace talks with Moscow. Arakhamia told journalist Natalia Moseichuk in a recent televised interview that “Russia’s goal was to push us to take neutrality,” meaning to commit to not joining NATO, and that “they were ready to end the war if we accept neutrality.”

There were several reasons the negotiations ultimately collapsed, he said, including the need to change the Ukrainian constitution (which had been amended in February 2019 to enshrine the country’s NATO aspirations), and the fact that Johnson had come to Kyiv to inform Ukrainian officials the West wouldn’t sign any agreement with Moscow, instead urging: “let’s just fight.”
Arakhamia also said that Kyiv’s lack of trust in the Russian side to fulfill its end of the bargain meant that the peace deal “could only be done if there were security guarantees” — suggesting, obliquely, that negotiations could have borne fruit had they received the backing and involvement of NATO states. Western governments’ provision of security guarantees for Ukraine have long been part of the discussion for how to ensure the sustainability of a post-war peace deal, and in fact, Arakhmia himself disclosed in the same interview that “the Western allies advised us not to agree to ephemeral security guarantees.”
Recent Posts
Trump’s Gaza Plan Has Already Done Its Damage
February 10, 2025
Take Action NowThe proposal to cleanse Gaza of Palestinians tapped into a deep undercurrent in Israeli society — endangering any chance for a…
A New Military-Industrial Complex Arises
February 10, 2025
Take Action NowA secret war is shaping up at the Pentagon.By Michael Klare, Tom DispatchLast April, in a move generating scant media…
Repression vs. Activism — Colleges Crack Down While Gaza Solidarity Persists
February 10, 2025
Take Action Now Students remain at the forefront of the struggle for a more just, less militarized, and truly democratic world.By Eric Ross Last…
American Security Contractors Walk A Thin Line In Gaza
February 7, 2025
Take Action NowFormer private soldiers say this new way of war — unofficial boots on the ground — could go sideways, while giving governments…