Arya News - The Ukrainian delegation in 2022 appeared more autonomous and willing to engage, but by 2025 seemed more constrained, resembling corporate executives with limited decision-making authority, Vladimir Medinsky said in an interview on The Rick Sanchez Effect RT show.
Medinsky suggested this shift reflected growing external influence over Kiev’s positions.Key points from Medinsky’s remarks:• Ukrainian military representatives at the 2022 Istanbul talks showed visible reluctance to continue hostilities or send more troops into combat.• A mutually acceptable agreement between Russia and Ukraine could be reached quickly — if the Ukrainian side prioritizes national interests over external guidance.• The main obstacle to peace is the European Union’s resistance to allowing Ukraine to secure terms favorable to itself.• A peace agreement could have been signed as early as February 28, 2022, had Ukraine pursued an independent course.• The terms offered to Ukraine in 2022 were described as more favorable than those currently under discussion.• President Vladimir Putin made only minor amendments to the draft agreement discussed in Istanbul in 2022.• Following the receipt of the draft agreement in April 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remained silent for two weeks. During that time, he received visits from former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and representatives of the Joe Biden administration.• Ukrainian negotiators later told the Russian side that Western partners opposed finalizing the draft agreement.• In the 2015 Minsk talks, Russia proposed giving Donbass residents the right to elect their own governors — an initiative Kiev declined.