During the early stages of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in 2022 following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia demanded that Ukraine dramatically reduce its military forces, cede partially occupied territories, and recognize Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea as Russian lands. The draft treaty proposal obtained by the investigative outlet Systema also called for the lifting of all Ukrainian and Western sanctions imposed since 2014. The proposal would have limited Ukraine’s ability to develop and deploy missiles with a range of more than 250 kilometers and allowed Moscow to prohibit other types of weapons in the future. These terms were seen as an attempt to make Ukraine defenseless, according to experts.
The peace talks, which began on February 28, 2022, and took place in Belarus, broke down in April amid disagreements over the proposed terms. The Russian treaty proposal was described as positioning Ukraine as the aggressor defeated on the battlefield, despite the reality of the situation. Experts raised concerns about the sincerity of Moscow’s negotiation attempts, as the terms were viewed as disproportionately harsh and potentially aimed at weakening Ukraine’s defenses. The Kremlin has since dismissed the earlier negotiations as outdated and has not publicly commented on the specific terms of the draft treaty proposal.
Systema obtained the draft treaty proposal from an anonymous Ukrainian source familiar with the negotiations and confirmed its authenticity with a Russian source close to the talks. The proposal shed light on President Vladimir Putin’s objectives behind the invasion of Ukraine, which he has not publicly renounced and has vowed to achieve. The demand for Ukraine to drastically reduce its military and relinquish control of certain territories, as well as the call for the lifting of sanctions, reflected Russia’s desire to assert dominance in the region and undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Eric Ciaramella, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted that the Russian terms would have left Ukraine defenseless and appeared to portray Ukraine as the aggressor, despite the reality of the situation. The proposal aimed to strip Ukraine of its military capabilities and limit its ability to defend itself, potentially paving the way for further Russian influence in the region. The draft treaty proposal highlighted the challenges faced in negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine, with Moscow’s aggressive demands raising concerns about the prospects for resolving the conflict.
As the peace talks stalled and subsequent drafts of treaty proposals were published earlier this year, the Kremlin has avoided discussing the specific terms of the early Russian peace treaty. The refusal to address the details of the proposal suggested that Russia may have reconsidered its initial demands or was unwilling to acknowledge the harsh conditions it had imposed on Ukraine. The breakdown of the negotiations further deepened the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with Moscow continuing its military operations in Ukrainian territory and facing international condemnation for its actions. The ongoing invasion of Ukraine underscored the challenges of finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict and the urgent need for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.
