Ukraine Never Turned Down a Survivable Deal

There’s a powerful myth that circulates among critics of U.S. aid to Ukraine. It has begun to creep even into the statements of President Donald Trump. The just-so story — promoted by Vladimir Putin in his interview with Tucker Carlson — is told in different ways, but it typically goes something like this:

We can trace the origins of this myth, which “first emerged in an article in the respected Ukrainska Pravda outlet in May 2022, which said that Ukrainian and Russian negotiators had agreed on a broad possible agreement after a meeting in Istanbul in late March. A week later, Johnson arrived with a message that ‘Putin is a war criminal, he needs to be pressured, not negotiated with’, according to one of the outlet’s sources.”

About the Author

Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

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There’s a powerful myth that circulates among critics of U.S. aid to Ukraine. It has begun to creep even into the statements of President Donald Trump. The just-so story — promoted by Vladimir Putin in his interview with Tucker Carlson — is told in different ways, but it typically goes something like this:

We can trace the origins of this myth, which “first emerged in an article in the respected Ukrainska Pravda outlet in May 2022, which said that Ukrainian and Russian negotiators had agreed on a broad possible agreement after a meeting in Istanbul in late March. A week later, Johnson arrived with a message that ‘Putin is a war criminal, he needs to be pressured, not negotiated with’, according to one of the outlet’s sources.”