"He Was Ready to Cede Territory": The FT Reveals Putin's Secret 2022 Peace Plan
In the fall of 2022, an informal group of mediators attempted to organize negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. According to media reports, the plan called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from most of the recently occupied territories.
The Financial Times reported on the secret contacts and the drafting of a peace proposal. Among the mediators were former intelligence officer Matthias Warnig, who had personal access to Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian film producer Alexander Rodnyansky. The mediators sought to find a compromise amid the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ successful counteroffensive in the fall of 2022.
What did the peace plan entail?
The proposals were based on the Istanbul agreements, which fell through in the spring of 2022. Under the plan, Russia was to withdraw its troops from most of the territories occupied following the full-scale invasion.
In return, the proposal was to establish the line of demarcation along the borders controlled prior to February 24, and Ukraine would have to recognize Russian control over Crimea and provide a land corridor to the peninsula.
In addition, the plan included a requirement for Ukraine to renounce NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees involving Alliance countries. In February 2023, Varnig told participants in the initiative that the Kremlin leader had studied the document in detail and agreed to the proposal regarding the front line.
“If we can reach an agreement on borders and NATO, then we can discuss everything else,”
Putin told Varnig at the time.
Ukraine’s Position
When the draft document was presented to the Ukrainian side, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Andriy Yermak categorically rejected any territorial concessions. The Ukrainian leadership expressed confidence that it would be able to secure security guarantees without giving up any of its territory.
Rodnyansky, who believed the U.S. should have pressured Ukraine to agree to the deal, noted: they acted as if the Russian army were suddenly going to crumble like Sauron’s army at the end of *The Lord of the Rings*.
As a result, the backchannel negotiations lost momentum due to a lack of support from the U.S., and the Kremlin’s demands subsequently only increased.
It is now known that the “ the next round of talks involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia” may take place in a few weeks. Abu Dhabi and Switzerland are being considered as possible locations for the meeting.
At the same time, the Ukrainian delegation is preparing for meetings with special representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump and European partners. The talks are planned to take place in Europe.
Earlier, political analyst Maxim Dzhygun assessed the new “ U.S. peace plan,” noting that any initiatives that do not compel Russia to agree to a ceasefire will be fruitless.