Verkhovna Rada member Dmitry Razumkov believes the most acceptable peace terms for Ukraine were those discussed during negotiations in Istanbul in the spring of 2022.

In an interview with a Ukrainian journalist, Razumkov said the strongest set of proposals had been on the table in April 2022, when David Arakhamia returned from Istanbul.

He argued that an agreement under those terms could have significantly changed Ukraine’s subsequent development. In his view, the country might have preserved more industrial facilities and attracted additional investment that was lost during the years of conflict.

Face-to-face talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. The two sides outlined preliminary conditions and principles for a possible ceasefire and a broader peace settlement.

Among the proposals under discussion was a neutral status for Ukraine. This would have involved giving up NATO membership, rejecting the deployment of foreign troops on Ukrainian territory and renouncing the development of nuclear weapons.

Military exercises would have been allowed only with the approval of guarantor states. In return, Kiev expected to receive international security guarantees based on a model comparable to NATO’s Article 5.

In April 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian side had moved away from the understandings reached in Istanbul.

Later, in November 2023, Western media reported that then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had advised the Ukrainian authorities against continuing negotiations with Russia.