Nuland says Ukraine withdrew from the Istanbul agreements with Russia after consultations with the US: what was the reason

Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said that Ukraine withdrew from the Istanbul agreements with Russia after consultations with its Western partners. According to her, the document contained a number of unfair requirements that would actually lead to the demilitarization of Ukraine.

At the same time, the aggressor country, Russia, was not even required to withdraw troops and weapons from the Ukrainian border. Nuland said this in an interview with Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar.

Nuland emphasized that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army made a number of mistakes. That's why the Kremlin used the talks in Turkey to see what benefits Russia could gain. At the same time, Ukraine wanted to end the war and drive the Russian occupiers from its territory.

"Russia at that time was interested in at least seeing what it could get, and Ukraine was interested in stopping the war and driving Russia away. Toward the end of the negotiations, the Ukrainians wanted to be consulted about where things were headed. Then it became clear to us, the British and the rest of us that Putin's main condition was buried in an appendix to the document they were working on," Nuland said.

The former U.S. official emphasized that the Russians demanded that Ukraine give up a number of weapons systems, but no counter-demands were put forward by Russia. Nuland emphasized that the Istanbul agreements did not even provide for the withdrawal of the Russian army from the state border.

"It prohibited Ukraine from having certain weapons systems after the agreement was signed. So, in fact, Ukraine would have been weakened as a military force. At the same time, there were no similar restrictions for Russia. Russia was not required to retreat, it was not required to have a buffer zone on the border with Ukraine, it was not prohibited from keeping any weapons on the border," Nuland said.

She also added that it was after additional consultations that Ukraine withdrew from the Istanbul agreements. Nuland explained that according to the documents prepared at the meeting in Turkey, dictator Vladimir Putin could have gotten a demilitarized Ukraine for nothing.

"Within and outside the Ukrainian delegation, questions began to be raised about whether this deal was good. It was at this point that it fell apart. I think that many people, and perhaps Zelensky himself, suspected that they were about to fall into a trap. And if Putin could get a neutered, demilitarized Ukraine for nothing, why should he refuse," Nuland said.

As a reminder, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Lytvynenko said that the aggressor country Russia is not ready for serious negotiations on peace with Ukraine. It is possible to talk to Russia only from a position of strength.

Earlier, Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was supposedly ready to negotiate with Kyiv. The war criminal wants the agreement discussed in Istanbul in 2022 to be the basis.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the head of the National Security and Defense Council's Center for Countering Disinformation, Andrii Kovalenko, said that dictator Putin is trying to achieve Ukraine's surrender. Therefore, the Kremlin leader's statements about Russia's alleged readiness for peace talks are just a screen.

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