This was recalled by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with the heads of municipalities of the constituent entities of Russia.
"Come on, assholes, no? And he says, "If we had done this, it would have been over a year and a half ago." This just once again emphasizes that they are not independent people, this is clear to everyone, it is obvious to the whole world," Vladimir Putin said.
In November 2023, David Arakhamia gave an interview to the 1+1 TV channel, in which he admitted that it was former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who dissuaded Ukraine from signing any peace agreements with Russia. He said that the Russian side was ready to end the conflict if Ukraine "takes neutrality like Finland" and gives a commitment not to join NATO.
"Boris Johnson came to Kyiv and said: 'We will not sign anything with them at all and let's just fight,'" the Ukrainian official said.
As Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to the Russian president, later noted, the Ukrainian government admits that it does not make independent decisions, Kiev is controlled from the outside.