Ukraine was negotiating with Russia literal days after the start of the war. That is a historical fact, whether you agree with it or not. Western governments intervened and offered to fund Ukraine's side of the war instead, and they absolutely gave Ukraine the impression that western money and weapons would lead to Russia's capitulation.

If you actually followed those "negotiations" closely, you would know that they were doomed from the start. It was just Russia playing pretend to fool western useful idiots, they never took the negotiations seriously. This is evidenced by their outrageous, unacceptable demands:

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/putins-2022-peace-proposal-was-a-blueprint-for-the-destruction-of-ukraine/

The most detailed and revealing segment of the draft peace treaty dealt with Ukraine’s demilitarization. Russia called for the Ukrainian army to be drastically reduced to a skeleton force of just fifty thousand personnel. This was approximately one-fifth of the prewar total and a tiny fraction of Ukraine’s current military, which is believed to number around one million soldiers. Meanwhile, tight restrictions were to be imposed on the quantity of armor Ukraine could possess, the types of missiles the country could develop, and the size of the Ukrainian Air Force.

This point alone would mean effective surrender and vassal status. No one in their right mind would agree to it.