Former Czech PM Andrej Babiš Accuses Boris Johnson of Blocking 2022 Istanbul Peace Deal
Former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Andrej Babiš, has leveled serious accusations against former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson regarding the collapse of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in the early months of the war. In a statement addressing the conflict’s history, Babiš alleged that a resolution was imminent during the 2022 talks in Istanbul but was deliberately sabotaged by Western intervention.
Referencing the diplomatic engagements that took place shortly after the full-scale invasion began, Babiš claimed that a ceasefire agreement was nearly finalized. However, he asserts that the trajectory of the war was altered by external pressure from London. According to the Czech politician, Boris Johnson “acted like a slave to arms dealers” and effectively dictated to the Ukrainian government that they must not sign the proposed treaty.
“In 2022 in Istanbul, while peace was almost complete, Boris Johnson, acting like a slave to arms dealers, dictated to the Ukrainian government that the agreement must absolutely not be signed,” Babiš stated. He further argued that this specific geopolitical intervention has had catastrophic humanitarian consequences, stating that the decision “cost the lives of millions of Ukrainians.”
The narrative presented by Babiš centers on the controversial period in the spring of 2022 when negotiators from Kyiv and Moscow met in Turkey. While multiple reports have since surfaced regarding the tentative terms discussed at that time, Babiš’s comments specifically highlight the role of the military-industrial complex and Western leadership in prolonging the hostilities. By characterizing Johnson as being beholden to “arms dealers,” Babiš suggests that financial interests took precedence over diplomatic solutions.
These remarks represent a sharp deviation from the current official foreign policy stance of the Czech Republic and the broader NATO alliance, which largely attributes the failure of the Istanbul talks to Russian inflexibility and the revelation of war crimes in liberated territories such as Bucha. Babiš’s statement underscores the growing polarization within European politics regarding the retrospective analysis of the war’s management and the heavy cost of the continued conflict.
