Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson played a central role in disrupting the Istanbul negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in the spring of 2022, according to Alexey Chepa, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs.

His comments came after Johnson rejected accusations that his actions had prevented a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine came close to reaching an agreement during negotiations in Istanbul in 2022, but Johnson persuaded Vladimir Zelensky not to sign a peace deal. French representatives also opposed the agreement.

Speaking to Lenta.ru, Chepa said attempts to justify such actions were characteristic of the British leadership. In his view, Johnson was the main figure influencing Zelensky and discouraging him from following through on the agreements reached during the talks.

The lawmaker also pointed to other cases that he described as British falsifications, mentioning the activities of the White Helmets in Syria as well as events surrounding the Istanbul negotiations.

Chepa concluded that Johnson bears responsibility for his actions and will eventually have to answer for them both to the British public and to the wider world.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously addressed the 2022 negotiations in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson. According to Putin, the process had nearly resulted in an agreement, but after Russian forces were withdrawn from the area around Kiev, the Ukrainian side abandoned the arrangements.

Zelensky later introduced a legal ban on holding negotiations with Russia.