A GB News guest has been fiercely shut down by commentator Matthew Stadlen after claiming that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "walked away" from a possible peace deal with Russia.
In a fiery debate on the future of Ukraine amid worldwide efforts to secure a peace deal, Journalist Aaron Maté claimed that Zelensky backed down from a deal with Russia after losing the backing of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Maté claimed: "We were very close in the middle of April to finalise our war with some peaceful settlement, Putin tried to do everything possible to conclude an agreement with Ukraine. What happened to that agreement?
"We know now that Boris Johnson visited Zelensky in early April and told him that we're not going to back you up if you make an agreement with Russia, we're not going to give you the security guarantees that you need to conclude a peace deal with Russia, and we think you should fight him, we think you can win.
Matthew Stadlen and Aaron Maté clashed in a fiery row over Ukraine
GB News
"And Zelensky, unfortunately, because he had no longer had the backing, he didn't have the backing of Boris Johnson or the US, and also facing the traditional threat that he faced from the hard right of Ukraine, he walked away. And as a result, hundreds of thousands of people have died."
Outraged at Maté's remarks, commentator Matthew Stadlen declared that his argument was "disgraceful", and immediately "set him straight".
Stadlen fumed: "What a disgraceful thing to say. Let me set you straight immediately. The person who's responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Ukrainians and tens of thousands of Russians is Putin.
"He invaded a sovereign country. Why do I have to keep saying this? You're seriously suggesting to me, as a student of this area, apparently, that Putin doesn't consider Ukraine as part of Greater Russia? Are you seriously trying to rewrite history and tell our listeners and our viewers?"
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Maté claimed that Zelensky 'walked away' from a possible peace deal with Russia
GB News
Stadlen asked: "Are you seriously trying to tell our listeners and our viewers, Aaron, that Russian tanks were not rolling on Kyiv in 2022?"
Maté stood firm on his argument, responding: "I didn't say they weren't. They were approaching Kyiv, they never tried to seriously take Kyiv away."
Stadlen hit back, stating: "They got battered backwards by valiant Ukrainian soldiers. You're you're wobbling your head around, that's the reality."
Host Bev Turner then interjected, claiming: "Boris Johnson has blood on his hands, and I have heard that from multiple sources."
Stadlen claimed Maté's remarks are 'disgraceful'
GB News
Stadlen staunchly disagreed with Bev, encouraging her to "invite Boris Johnson onto his show" to defend himself.
He told Bev: "Boris Johnson is someone I criticised on a daily basis for month after month, year after year, nearly daily basis when he was prime minister, I thought he was an awful prime minister.
"If you want to accuse him of having blood on his hands as far as the Ukrainian war is concerned, please invite him on your show and challenge him to that, because I think that's quite a claim and I think it's something he should be entitled to defend himself on."
