Zelensky claims Moscow wanted to replace him with Medvedchuk during 2022 Istanbul talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has presented his perspective on the Istanbul Accords that Russia and Ukraine first intended, but then failed to sign in the spring of 2022. Kyiv was unwilling to make concessions to Moscow, Zelensky said.

The talks in Turkey escalated to "ultimatums from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin."

"They said that I should step down, that they replace me with the pro-Russian [Viktor] Medvedchuk. And I am no longer president," Zelensky said. 

The Ukrainian leader explained that the refusal to proceed with the Istanbul negotiations stemmed from a reluctance to accept Russia's stance on Ukraine's neutral status and the issue of the Russian language within the country. He justified this decision by citing the mandate that the Ukrainians had given to him in the 2019 presidential elections, which brought him to power.

In response, Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian State Duma's Committee on International Affairs, dismissed Zelensky's remarks as manipulative and untruthful. The Istanbul agreements were initialed by David Arakhamia, the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Slutsky emphasized. That was an action that could not have occurred without Zelensky's approval. He pointed out that Russia had withdrawn troops from the Kyiv and Chernihiv directions and was prepared to end hostilities, with Kyiv agreeing to the terms at that time. Slutsky concluded by stating that Zelensky was thus trying to manipulate Europe as the Trump administration decided to freeze aid, including to Kyiv, for 90 days.

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There have been several rounds of peace talks to halt the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022–present) and end the Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–present). The first meeting was held four days after the start of the invasion, on 28 February 2022, in Belarus. It concluded without result. A second and third round of talks took place on 3 and 7 March 2022 on the Belarus–Ukraine border. A fourth and fifth round of talks were held on 10 and 14 March in Antalya, Turkey. The negotiations in Turkey produced the Istanbul Communiqué. It proposed that Ukraine end its plans to eventually join NATO, have limits placed on its military, and would have obliged Western countries to help Ukraine in case of aggression against it. The talks almost reached agreement, with both sides considering "far-reaching concessions", but stopped in May 2022, due to several factors, including the Bucha massacre. Following the 2022 Ukrainian eastern counteroffensive, Russia renewed calls for peace talks, but Russian government sources suggested that Putin is not truly committed to peace and was simply stalling for time while its forces trained and replenished for a future advance.