Russia Agreed to Cease Hostilities: Ukrainian Lawmaker Explains Reason for Rejection

In the spring of 2022, Russia promised to end its large-scale war in Ukraine if Kyiv agreed to renounce its aspirations to join NATO. This was stated by Davit Arakhamia, the head of the 'Servant of the People' faction in Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada, in an interview with '1+1'.

“Their main priority was for us to maintain neutrality. They were ready to end the war if we displayed neutrality, like Finland did at one time, and committed that we would not join NATO,” Arakhamia said.

According to him, Moscow's main issue was the recognition of Ukraine's neutral state status. Arakhamia explained why Kyiv rejected that proposal. He stated that Kyiv refused to comply with the demand for two reasons: first, it required a change to the country’s Constitution, which enshrines Ukraine's desire to join NATO; the second reason was distrust towards the Russian side regarding their commitment to uphold the agreement.

“This can only be done in the presence of security guarantees,” noted Arakhamia, without clarifying whether Kyiv would meet Moscow's demands under such conditions.

The Ukrainian lawmaker also added that at that time, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised Kyiv not to sign anything and to “just keep fighting.”

Additionally, Arakhamia revealed that there will be no elections in Ukraine in 2024.