The former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State did not acknowledge that the U.S. supposedly «sabotaged the negotiations in Istanbul,» and in the interview, she emphasized that it was clear to everyone, even without American input, that the proposed conditions only benefited Russia and left Ukraine completely unprotected.
Russian media have once again revisited the topic of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul in 2022, specifically pushing the disinformation narrative that the West supposedly forced the Ukrainian government to reject a truce with Russia. This time, the propaganda claims that such an admission came from former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland.
Victoria Nuland gave an interview to Russian writer and journalist Mikhail Zygar. Among other things, Zygar asked Nuland what happened during the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, when Ukraine exited the negotiation process.
Victoria Nuland said the following in the interview: «Only the negotiators know for sure because they were the ones in the room… We were not in the room, we were not aware of what kind of deal was there, we just said: ‘Look, we are here to support, if you want us to know more, not less, we’re here.’ And we were never fully sure how empowered either negotiating team was, whether Putin was truly ready to sign on to what his team had agreed to, and whether Zelensky was either. But later, Ukrainians began asking for advice on where things were going, and it became clear to us, it became clear to the British, it became clear to others that Putin’s main condition was buried in an annex to the document they were working on, and it included limits on the precise kinds of weapon systems Ukraine could have after the deal was signed. Ukraine would basically be neutered as a military force. And at the same time, there were no similar constraints on Russia. Russia was not required to pull back, Russia was not required to have a buffer zone from the Ukrainian border. So people inside Ukraine, people outside of it began questioning whether this was a good deal, and it was at that point that it fell apart, but I think many people, including Zelensky, suspected that they were about to fall into a trap.»
Thus, the former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State did not admit that the U.S. supposedly «sabotaged the Istanbul negotiations.» In the interview, she emphasized that they were there to support, and later, even without American input, it became clear that the proposed conditions only benefited Russia and left Ukraine completely unprotected.
Previously, StopFake debunked a similar fake about the head of the «Servant of the People» faction in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Davyd Arakhamia, allegedly stating that when Ukraine did not sign the agreements in Istanbul, it opted for continuing the war.
