The dark strategy behind Putin's actions in Ukraine

Leaked documents recently uncovered suggest that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed an initial peace plan to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the onset of the conflict in Ukraine. However, analysts indicate that the proposal lacks the conventional attributes generally expected in resolutions aimed at fostering peace.

The treaty was leaked by Systema, a part of Radio Free Europe, a U.S. government-funded organization that broadcasts news, information and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, according to HuffPost.

Radio Free Europe reports, the agreement was presented by Russian authorities to their Ukrainian counterparts on March 7, 2022, in the town of Belavezha, Belarus. It was then the third round of negotiations between representatives of Moscow and Kyiv, 11 days after Russia launched its invasion of Ukrainian territory.

An article on the blog of the American think tank Atlantic Council recalls that Putin has often cited the rejection of the proposal in an attempt to prove that Russia wanted to achieve peace through diplomatic means. However, the article defines the treaty as a “blueprint for the destruction of Ukraine.”

Peter Dickinson, editor of Ukraine Alert, is the author of the piece. He claims that the conditions proposed by the Kremlin in spring 2022 would have left Ukraine " partitioned, disarmed, internationally isolated, and utterly unable to defend itself against further Russian aggression."

This is because the treaty imposed very rigid restrictions mainly on Ukraine's military capabilities and the presence of foreign forces in the country, and even called for the cession of separatist territories.

For example, Ukraine could not allow the entry or deployment “in any form on its territory, including temporarily, of foreign armed forces and formations, including military personnel, and not allow the creation or maintenance in Ukraine of military bases, warehouses, strongholds and other military facilities.”

Still on the military issue, according to Huffpost, one of the clauses provided for Ukraine to reduce its army to 50,000 troops, with only 1,500 officers. Currently, according to Statista, Ukraine has about 900,000 active soldiers.

In terms of territory, Ukraine should recognise the self-proclaimed People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, including areas under Ukrainian control. In addition, the country should bear the costs of rebuilding infrastructure in Donbas that has been damaged since 2014.

The treaty also sought to end sanctions against Russian companies and individuals imposed by Ukraine and its allies since 2014. Finally, it also demanded that Russian be established as an official language in Ukraine, that the property of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church be returned to the Moscow Patriarchate, and that the country again allow the use of Soviet and communist symbols related to victory in World War II.

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