Document From 2022 Reveals Putin’s Punishing Terms for Peace

Russian President Vladimir Putin has in recent weeks publicly hinted that he would be open to discussions to end the war in Ukraine on Moscow’s terms, as Kyiv’s military momentum stalls.

The outlines of a deal the Russian leader likely wants can be seen in a draft peace treaty drawn up by Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in April 2022, about six weeks after the start of the war. Western officials and analysts say those objectives remain largely unchanged after two years of fighting: Turn Ukraine into a neutered state permanently vulnerable to Russian military aggression.

While the broad outlines of the ultimately unsuccessful peace negotiations havebeen disclosed, the full 17-page document, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and others familiar with the negotiations, hasn’t been made public.

The document, dated April 15, 2022, sketches out how negotiators on both sides sought to end the fighting by agreeing to turn Ukraine into a “permanently neutral state that doesn’t participate in military blocs," barred from rebuilding its military with Western support and leaving Crimea under de facto Russian control.

Ultimately no deal was agreed upon. The scale of Russian war crimes in Ukraine became apparent, Ukraine’s military fortunes improved and the West poured in weapons to bolster Kyiv.

Today, Ukraine says that it won’t start peace talks until Russia removes troops from its country. Two years of conflict have hardened Ukrainian public opinion against any kind of peace deal, and Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky has warned that any cessation of hostilities would simply allow Russia to re-arm and better attack Ukraine further down the line. Analysts say a military victory for either side looks increasingly