Polska Times: Russia sought Ukraine’s capitulation, not peace in 2022 talks, says Poland’s ex State Secretary

Jakub Kumoch, former Secretary of State to Polish President Andrzej Duda, revealed in an interview with Polska Times that Russia’s goal in Ukraine-Russia negotiations in 2022 was not to achieve lasting peace but to force Ukraine’s capitulation.

This news comes as the recent Foreign Affairs article suggested that Ukraine withdrew from an allegedly nearly finalized peace agreement with Russia in 2022 under Western influence. Kumoch addressed this article by mentioning that it included some narratives similar to Russian propaganda claims.

The negotiations between Ukraine and Russia took place in Belarus and Türkiye in spring 2022, soon after the start of the full-scale war. Kumoch accompanied the Ukrainian delegation during these negotiations, according to Polska Times.

Russian demands to Ukraine in a “peace agreement” in 2022

Kumoch revealed that in mid-March, the Ukrainians received a draft peace agreement from Russia, which he described as “peculiar.” The document, prepared by Russia before the invasion, according to Kumoch, included such points as:

• recognizing Crimea’s annexation
• granting independence to the eastern regions of Ukraine
• limiting the size of the Ukrainian army
• making the Russian language the second official in Ukraine
• “eternal neutrality”
• banning NATO membership

“There were also purely humiliating elements, such as an obligation to carry out denazification or to introduce the cult of the Great Patriotic War, as the Russians call their contribution to World War II,” Kumoch added.

Soviet historians introduced the notion of the so-called Great Patriotic War, dating between 1941 and 1945, in order to exclude the first two years of Warld War II, during which the Nazy Germany and the USSR were allies.

A Polish diplomat said the Ukrainian negotiators impressed him with their professionalism. They politely rejected the Russian demands point by point without breaking off the negotiations. 

He noted that the Ukrainians even trapped the Russians by adding a reference to the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, which Russia signed and which guaranteed Ukraine’s territorial integrity.  Kumoch revealed that the Russian negotiator replied in writing that this was unacceptable because “the borders had changed,” not providing further details.

Who guarantees Russia would not attack again? 

Kumoch suggested that had Russia proposed freezing the “Crimea issue” and withdrawing to the pre-full-scale-invasion borders, Ukraine might have considered a ceasefire. However, he stressed that without NATO membership, Ukraine would lack guarantees against future Russian aggression.

“If Ukraine does not join NATO, who will guarantee that Russia will not attack Ukraine again? Since the 1994 memorandum failed and since Russia demanded a reduction in the Ukrainian army. Who will give Ukraine basic guarantees?” he said.

Kumoch firmly stated that the Ukrainian delegation never contemplated exchanging territory for peace or NATO membership during the 2022 negotiations with Russia. He noted that the Ukrainian delegation consistently adhered to the principle of border inviolability.

“States that recognize each other do not attack other states with the slogan ‘if you give us part of the territory,’ there will be peace. This is not the 19th century,” he said.

Kumoch also addressed the possibility of a “Cyprus variant,” where a country has an unrecognized territorial entity within its borders, but no active conflict. However, he noted that Russia was not interested in this approach, instead demanding that Ukraine recognize Crimea and Donbas, reduce its army, and make Russian a second official language in Ukraine. 

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba denied Russian propaganda narratives that Ukraine allegedly rejected a peace deal with Russia in spring 2022 under UK pressure.https://t.co/0at7vxZHiN

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