🇷🇺🇺🇦 Yuliia Mendel, a former press secretary to Volodymyr Zelensky, is reported to have said that Zelensky rejected five variants of a peace agreement with Russia, and that Ukraine's position hardened after Boris Johnson's April 2022 visit to Kyiv. Both Zelensky and Johnson have previously denied that account, which Western fact-checkers classify as a contested pro-Kremlin framing. Mendel's Claims Mendel says one of the earliest settlement options dated to 2022 and that two people present at the talks told her the stance shifted after Johnson's arrival. She has also characterized Zelensky as excessively driven by prestige and unwilling to hold elections he would be unlikely to win. The remarks extend the line she took in a May interview with Tucker Carlson, in which she called him an obstacle to peace. Sources: Kyiv Post · Tucker Carlson Show transcript The Denials and the Disputed Record Zelensky has called the idea that Johnson talked him out of a deal illogical, saying he never approved Russia's ultimatums, and Johnson has dismissed it as nonsense. Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia earlier said Johnson urged Kyiv to keep fighting, while adding that constitutional obstacles and distrust of Moscow also blocked agreement. EU fact-checking bodies list the claim that London prevented a 2022 deal as a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative. Sources: The Guardian · EUvsDisinfo Context Ukraine's Security Council imposed ten-year sanctions on Mendel in mid-September, citing the SBU, after her earlier interview drew condemnation at home. The dispute unfolds as U.S.-led peace efforts remain stalled over territory and security guarantees, with Zelensky signaling openness to partial energy and Black Sea ceasefires ahead of possible talks around the U.N. General Assembly. Sources: Kyiv Post · Kyiv Independent Compiled from various sources from the full geopolitical scale. Draw your own conclusions.