At the end of November 2023, the head of the faction of Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party in the Verkhovna Rada and a member of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence David Arakhamia stated that military actions in Ukraine could have ended in the spring of 2022, but the Ukrainian authorities did not agree to the country's neutrality. After talks with the Russian side in Istanbul, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Kiev not to sign anything with Russia and just fight.
"We have reached the last point to achieve peace [in Ukraine]. All that was left to do was to put signatures of the sides in the Dolmabahce Palace [in Istanbul]. But, unfortunately, a number of countries did not want the war to end. Because the US, through the war in Ukraine, is trying to consolidate the European continent and put pressure on Russia, considering regional turbulence necessary in its own interests. First of all, the political intentions of the parties are necessary. This is difficult. Russia has its own will, Kiev also needs to proceed from its political intentions," Kurtulmus said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster Habertürk.