Vladimir Putin’s Ambassador-General to Ukraine told the Russian leader early in the war that he had signed an interim agreement with Kyiv that met Russia’s demand for Ukraine to stay out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Western military alliance, but Putin rejected it and left. He is ahead with his military campaign, according to three people close to the Russian leadership.
Ukrainian-born envoy Dmitry Kozak told Putin that he believes the deal he made, according to these sources, eliminates the need for Russia to invade Ukraine comprehensively. Kozak’s advice to Putin to accept the deal is reported by Reuters for the first time.
Before the war, Putin had repeatedly stated that NATO and its military infrastructure were approaching Russia’s borders by recruiting new members from Eastern Europe, and the alliance was now preparing to put Ukraine into its orbit. Putin has publicly said that this poses an existential threat to Russia and compels Russia to react.
But sources have made it clear that while Putin had previously supported the talks, the concessions negotiated by his adviser when presented with the Kozak agreement did not go far enough, expanding their objectives to include annexing part of Ukrainian territory. . . . Result: The deal was cancelled.
Asked about Reuters’ findings, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “This has absolutely nothing to do with reality. It never happened. It’s absolutely false information.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, said Russia used the talks as a smokescreen to prepare for the invasion, but did not answer questions about the content of the talks or confirm that a preliminary agreement had been reached. “Today we clearly understand that the Russian side was never interested in a peaceful agreement,” Podolyak said. Said.
Two of the three sources said efforts to finalize the deal took place immediately after the Russian invasion on February 24. Sources said Kozak believed that within a few days Ukraine had the agreement on the basic terms Russia was looking for, and advised Putin to sign an agreement.
The third source, who was informed about the events by people familiar with the discussions between Kozak and Putin, differed on the timing, saying that Kozak offered Putin an agreement and was rejected shortly before the invasion. All sources requested anonymity to share confidential internal information.
Even if Putin accepted Kozak’s plan, it remains unclear whether the war will end. Reuters could not independently confirm whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy or senior officials in his government adhered to the deal.
Six months after the start of the war, Kozak remains deputy chief of staff of the Kremlin. But according to six sources who spoke to Reuters, he is no longer interested in the Ukraine issue.
source: Noticias
