A U.S. lawyer and a banker, through a former spy, tried to persuade Putin not to start a nuclear war and to make peace, according to the FT / Getty Images
In 2022, Americans Richard Conn and Bob Forsman attempted to avert a nuclear war through an unofficial channel of communication with the Kremlin. They enlisted the help of former East German spy Matthias Warnig to negotiate with Putin.
Details of this secret initiative, known as “The Platform,” were revealed by the Financial Times. Attempts at behind-the-scenes dialogue began in March 2022 following an alarming call from Moscow about the risk of nuclear weapons being used. U.S. officials hoped to convey, through Varnig, a clear message that the West does not seek to destroy Russia or change its regime.
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Attempts to Establish a Secret Channel with the Kremlin
To carry out the plan, Conn and Forsman met with Matthias Warnig in Zurich in the fall of 2022. The former spy, who had known Putin since the 1990s, agreed to convey a message from U.S. officials to the Russian dictator.
After a trip to Moscow, Warnig read out Putin’s response. The dictator claimed that he “had no choice but to continue military operations,” but at the same time expressed his alleged openness to negotiations based on the Istanbul agreements.
The Peace Agreement Plan and Ukraine’s Position
In early 2023, the group drafted a peace agreement. It called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from most of the newly occupied territories but demanded that Ukraine make concessions regarding Crimea and renounce its bid to join NATO.
Producer Oleksandr Rodnyansky attempted to present these documents to the Ukrainian leadership. However, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Andriy Yermak categorically rejected any concessions regarding Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Why the initiative failed
Ultimately, the attempt to establish an unofficial channel of communication failed due to a lack of official support from Washington.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made it clear that the American side considers existing government channels to be entirely sufficient.
It should be noted that the Kremlin continues to regularly manipulate the issue of diplomacy. ISW analysts point out that Moscow pretends to be ready to negotiate only to ease sanctions and save its own oil refineries.
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