Gavin E L Hall

I confirm the 2023 peace-treaty plan that was leaked to the FT. What the draft envisaged: - Russia withdraws its troops from most of the four oblasts it had just declared “annexed.” - The new line of demarcation runs roughly along the line as of February 24, 2022: Crimea and the part of Donbas that Russia controlled before the full-scale invasion. - Ukraine recognizes Russian control over Crimea. - Ukraine grants Russia an unobstructed land corridor to Crimea. - The ceasefire regime is guaranteed by NATO countries that provide protection for Ukraine. - Russia begins negotiations with the US on its own security guarantees. From my side, I’ll add a few insider details that few people know about. The plan was discussed NOT ONLY by Rodnyansky: the key figure was ABRAMOVICH. Moreover, Russia was ready to give up the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as well. And the 300 billion in frozen assets was to go toward rebuilding all of Ukraine, that is, together with the occupied territories. As for Crimea: we were not required to recognize it as Russian, only to recognize Russia’s control over it. In other words, we acknowledge that right now it is under Russian control (which is how it is). We were also required to adopt a law banning the return of Crimea by military means. The land corridor to Crimea, a highway and a railway, was to be built at Russia’s expense. The hardest question was how to guard it. That is why the Russians were ready to give up Melitopol, but not Tokmak: they feared we would cut the corridor with artillery. Zelensky rejected this proposal at the time.