Former MP Novinsky spoke about his role in the 2022 negotiations
Former MP Vadym Novynskyi stated that at the start of the full-scale war, he helped organize negotiations between Ukraine and Russia at the request of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also shared his own account of how the initial contacts took place and why, in his opinion, the negotiations failed to yield results. He spoke about this in an interview with the German television channel Compact TV. The Office of the President has not publicly commented on these statements.
According to Novinsky, immediately after the start of the full-scale invasion, he was approached by the head of one of the security agencies. The official allegedly conveyed a request to help organize the negotiations and emphasized that this was a personal initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Novinsky claims he did not agree immediately. He asked that Zelenskyy contact him personally to avoid accusations of treason. “I insisted that the president call me himself and confirm this,” he said.
According to him, such a conversation took place. Novinsky says that during it, Zelensky asked for help in organizing contacts and inquired about his view of the situation. “He was agitated and asked what to do. I said that negotiations needed to begin as soon as possible and that a peaceful solution should be sought,” Novinsky stated.
Next, he said, work began on organizing contacts. The negotiations took place in several stages—first in Gomel, then in Istanbul, and also online between meetings. Novinsky claims that he was the one who conveyed Russia’s demands to the Ukrainian side, which later formed the basis of the draft peace agreement.
According to him, among the key points were Ukraine’s refusal to join NATO, a special status for Crimea, and the issue regarding part of Donbas was to be resolved during a face-to-face meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia. “These were conditions that offered a chance to stop the war,” he stated.
Novinsky also rejected accusations that he allegedly pressured Ukraine’s leadership to surrender. He says his goal was to stop the fighting and save lives. “I didn’t talk about surrender. I was talking about how to stop the tragedy,” he noted. In his view, if the agreements discussed in Istanbul had been implemented, it could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives and reduced the scale of destruction.
Separately, Novinsky commented on current attempts to achieve peace. He stated that every time Ukraine rejected agreements in the past, it only worsened its position.
He also commented on public sentiment. According to him, most Ukrainians allegedly want the war to end, but official opinion polls do not reflect this. “Up to 80% of people refuse to answer such questions, so these polls do not show the real picture,” he said.
Novinsky devoted a significant portion of the interview to the topic of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He accused the authorities of pressuring the church and stated that the state leadership and certain officials bear responsibility for this. “Under the guise of fighting for independence, a battle against faith is being waged,” he said.
Novinsky also stated that expectations of a mass conversion of believers to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine have not materialized. He criticized the government’s actions and mentioned criminal cases and sanctions, which, according to him, are being used as tools of pressure. In conclusion, Novinsky shared his assessment of the political situation in Ukraine. He stated that the country needs new approaches to relations with its neighbors and to internal dialogue following the war.
At the same time, it should be noted that the statements he made represent his personal position. Ukrainian authorities have not previously confirmed his participation in the negotiations and have not yet publicly commented on these claims.
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