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Published January 25, 2024, 7:00 PM ET
Russia has reportedly sent back-channel indicators to US officials that suggest Vladimir Putin may be open to negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. But experts warned that the alleged negotiations could simply be a Russian ploy to drive a wedge between Ukraine's allies.
The signals were sent to senior U.S. officials sometime last month, two sources close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg. The letters reportedly suggested that Putin may be willing to abandon his long-held opposition to Ukraine joining NATO in order to end the war.
In return, however, Russia would demand that the Kremlin retain control of the territory it has seized from Ukraine since the invasion began in February 2022 – currently around 18% of the country – something Kiev strongly opposes.
“President Putin has repeatedly stated that Russia has been, is and will continue to be open to negotiations on Ukraine,” a Kremlin spokesman told Bloomberg.
According to reports, Vladimir Putin may be willing to admit Ukraine into NATO in return for retaining territory captured since 2022. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The spokesman added that Russia preferred to end the war through “diplomatic means” but was ready to continue with force.
Despite the reports, US officials have denied receiving any such messages, backchannel signals or tips from Russia.
“We are not aware of the described shifts in Russia’s position,” a National Security Council member said, noting that it is not the United States’ job to negotiate the terms of the war in Ukraine.
“It will be up to Ukraine to decide whether, when and how to negotiate with Russia.”
A Ukrainian church was destroyed in the flight. Ukrainian troops are rationing their ammunition as supplies run out. Getty Images
Former White House adviser Fiona Hill believes the rumors look like a “classic Russian game” that undermines Ukraine's trust in its allies by making it appear they are negotiating their own terms behind its back.
“It brings benefits [Russia] “so that everyone thinks there's a back channel and it's so secret that no one can find out because it scares the crap out of Ukrainians,” Hill told Bloomberg.
“The Russians want us to create the idea that the channel is there and that everything depends on the United States, so no one or nothing else plays a role,” she said.
Similar rumors were also circulating in diplomatic circles in Europe, Bloomberg reported.
Experts say reports about Russian negotiations may be aimed at undermining President Volodymyr Zelensky. ZUMAPRESS.com
However true the claims may be, they come at an extremely critical time in Ukraine's fight against Russia.
Some Ukrainian military units have been forced to start rationing their ammunition as supplies run dangerously low amid disputes in the US over the next aid package.
President Biden requested $61.4 billion in aid for Ukraine back in October, in addition to a broader $106 billion national security funding proposal. But negotiations have been stalled for months by conservatives who believe those funds could be better spent on securing the southern U.S. border.
As Ukrainian supplies run low during the harsh winter fighting, Russia is putting the might of its vast nation to war – it spends about 40% of its national budget on the military – and is even resorting to its old Soviet-era weaponry to supplement front lines.
“The ratio is about 10 to 1,” a Ukrainian officer from the 93rd Mechanized Brigade told CNN, comparing Russian ammunition production to Ukraine’s.
“Russia is a country that produces ammunition and has strategic reserves. Yes, they use old Soviet systems. But Soviet systems can still kill.”
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