In April 2022, the aggressor country Russia actually disrupted the peace negotiations with Ukraine, demanding in the draft treaty the right of veto on the response of the international community in the event of a repeated attack.
Points of attention
- Russia disrupted peace talks with Ukraine in 2022 by demanding the right of veto in the draft agreement for the international community's response in case of a repeated attack.
- Negotiations faced disputes over armaments, EU membership, cultural issues like language, territories, and laws, ultimately leading to Ukraine refusing to continue talks.
- Ukraine sought international security guarantees, while Russia's demands included lifting sanctions, territorial transfers, and arms restrictions.
- Agreements reached as a result of negotiations included demands for Ukraine to declare neutrality, limit missile ranges, and navigate the status of Crimea and occupied territories.
- Russian addition of a veto clause in the event of an attack on Ukraine led to a significant deviation from initial discussions and caused Ukraine to discontinue negotiations.
How Russia disrupted peace talks with Ukraine in 2022
Journalists of the publication published in full the drafts of the peace agreement dated March 17 and April 15, 2022, with proposals and demands from both sides.
It is noted that the documents were at the disposal of journalists of the publication from Ukrainian, Russian and European officials.
In addition, journalists of the publication spent several months interviewing more than a dozen Ukrainian, Russian and Western current and former officials and other persons close to the negotiation process.
According to the journalists of the publication, referring to the documents on the peaceful settlement of the war, there were disputes between Ukraine and Russia regarding the points regarding the level of armaments, the conditions of Ukraine's potential membership in the EU, in addition, Russia demanded the cancellation of a number of Ukrainian draft laws regarding language and culture.
In particular, during the negotiations, the representatives of Ukraine agreed to renounce NATO membership and give part of the occupied territories to Russia, but refused to recognize Russian sovereignty over these territories.
Russia also demanded that Ukraine make Russian the official language.
Stunned by Ukraine's fierce resistance, Russia seemed to be open to such an agreement, but in the end did not agree to its most important component: an agreement that obliged other countries to come to Ukraine's defense if it was attacked again, the authors of the article emphasize.
What is known about the agreements reached as a result of the negotiations
In particular, the journalists of the publication got acquainted with the draft agreement of March 17, provided by Ukraine to representatives of the governments of Western countries.
At that time, Ukraine demanded Russia's approval to receive international security guarantees, according to which the guarantors would defend Kyiv in the event of a repeated Russian attack.
She wanted the treaty to extend to Ukraine's "internationally recognized borders," even as Russian forces were still trying to capture Kyiv.
Ukraine wanted its allies to be contractually obliged to intervene if it was attacked again, for example, by "...closing the airspace over Ukraine, providing the necessary weapons, using the armed forces for the purpose of restoring and further maintaining the security of Ukraine as a permanent neutral state".
The representatives of Russia wanted Ukraine and all the signatories of the agreement to cancel the sanctions, demanded to hand over the entire eastern Donbas and Crimea.
The list of seven points was directed against Ukraine's national identity, including a ban on naming streets after Ukrainian independence fighters.
The draft contained restrictions on the size of the Ukrainian armed forces and the number of tanks, artillery batteries, warships and combat aircraft that the country could have in its arsenal.
We quietly said: "You do understand that this is unilateral disarmament, right?" — American officials commented on these demands during meetings with colleagues from Ukraine.
According to a European diplomat, Poland's leaders feared that Germany or France might try to persuade Ukrainians to accept Russia's terms, and wanted to prevent that from happening.
Therefore, at a meeting with NATO leaders in Brussels on March 24, Polish President Andrzej Duda raised the text of the draft agreement from March 17, said a diplomat who was present at the meeting. "Which of you will sign it?" Duda asked his colleagues.
None of the NATO leaders responded.
On March 29, a meeting of representatives of Ukraine and Russia took place in the Istanbul Palace on the Bosphorus.
At that time, the Russian side approved Ukraine's demands for neutrality and security guarantees, and they emphasized their own territorial demands less.
Ukraine summarized the proposed agreement in a two-page document it called the Istanbul Communiqué, but never published.
The status of Crimea was to be determined within 10-15 years, while Ukraine promised not to try to return the peninsula by force.
Elenskyi and Putin were to meet in person to finalize a peace treaty and agree on what part of Ukrainian territory Russia would continue to occupy.
The guarantor states and Ukraine agree that in the event of aggression, any armed attack on Ukraine or any military operation against Ukraine, each of the guarantor states, after urgent and immediate consultations between them ... will provide ... assistance to Ukraine , as a permanently neutral state under attack, the draft communique stated.
However, the Russian side publicly sent conflicting signals regarding the readiness to sign this agreement.
So, in the version of April 15, the negotiators agreed that Ukraine would declare itself a permanent neutral state, although it would be allowed to join the European Union.
A significant part of the agreement "will not apply" to Crimea and another part of the territory of Ukraine, which will be determined later — this means that Kyiv will accept the Russian occupation of part of its territory, without recognizing Russian sovereignty over it.
Russia wanted the range of Ukrainian missiles to be limited to 25 miles (40 km), while Ukraine wanted 174 miles (280 km) — enough to hit targets across Crimea.
Russia still wanted Ukraine to repeal laws related to language and national identity, and to withdraw Ukrainian troops as part of a ceasefire.
The Russian cease-fire proposal stated that Ukraine should withdraw its troops on its own territory "to places of permanent deployment or to places agreed with the Russian Federation."
However, as the publication writes, the biggest problem arose in Article 5. It stated that in the event of another armed attack on Ukraine, the "guarantor states" that will sign the treaty — Great Britain, China, Russia, the USA and France — will stand on its side protection.
To the horror of Ukrainians, there was a significant deviation from what, according to Ukrainian negotiators, was discussed in Istanbul. Russia added a clause that all guarantor states, including Russia, must approve a response in the event of an attack on Ukraine. Essentially, Moscow could re-invade Ukraine and then veto any military intervention on Ukraine's behalf — a seemingly absurd condition that Kiev quickly identified as a deal-breaker...After this change, according to one of the members of the Ukrainian negotiating group, "we were not interested in continuing the negotiations," the article emphasizes.
