Kremlin says Ukraine failed to sign agreement with Russia due to ‘direct pressure’ from UK

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Ukraine failed to sign an agreement with Russia during talks in Istanbul in 2022 due to “direct pressure” from the UK, according to the Kremlin spokesman on Saturday.

"(Head of the Ukrainian delegation David) Arakhamia talked about this, the rest is speculation," Dmitry Peskov said at a news briefing in Moscow.

Arakhamia revealed in a November 2023 interview with Ukraine's 1+1 TV channel that former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised Ukrainian authorities against signing any agreements with Russia and encouraged them to continue fighting.

Currently, there are no grounds for resuming negotiations, however, Russia is consistent in its commitment to resolving disputes through peaceful means if an opportunity arises, Peskov said.

He called potential sanctions targeting Russian liquefied natural gas supplies as "efforts to exclude Russia from energy markets."

“This is beneficial for the US and for a number of other countries. This will mean more expensive gas for end users, primarily the industrial sectors of Europe," the Kremlin spokesman said.

He reiterated Russia's determination to counter such “unfair” competition through legal means.

Refraining from commenting on reports of Washington's pressure on Beijing concerning its relations with Russia, Peskov emphasized China's sovereignty and capability to defend its interests.

Commenting on media reports citing US intelligence on Russia's non-involvement in the death of Russian political figure Alexey Navalny, Peskov said he saw them.

Navalny died on Feb. 16 in a prison colony in Russia's arctic region of Yakutia after suddenly feeling unwell, despite immediate transportation to a hospital, doctors were unable to save his life, and he was buried on March 1 in Moscow.

Responding to protests in Armenia over border delimitation with Azerbaijan, Peskov expressed Russia's support for contacts between the two Caucasian countries aimed at resolving disputes and signing a peace treaty.

He stressed the importance of communication between Baku and Yerevan to de-escalate tensions.