Arakhamia, a close associate of Zelensky, was part of a Ukrainian delegation involved in fruitless peace negotiations with Russia in the early weeks of the conflict.
He said that what Moscow then presented as a "peace agreement" was actually an unfeasible "capitulation", based on the belief that Ukrainians "would be weak".
Arakhamia explained that Ukraine exited the negotiations after the Bucha massacre of civilians, the first evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
The Russian negotiators "tried to persuade me that the Bucha operation was a joint fake operation by British special forces and Ukrainians," Arakhamia said. Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Take international news everywhere with you!