Following negotiations via intermediaries, the US rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine to halt the fighting, according to three Russian sources familiar with the discussions.
The failure of Putin’s strategy brings in the third year of Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, demonstrating how far apart the world’s two strongest nuclear powers remain.
A US official denied there had been any official contact and stated that Washington would not participate in talks that did not involve Ukraine.
Putin signaled to Washington in 2023, both publicly and privately, through proxies such as Moscow’s Arab colleagues in the Middle East and others, that he was willing to contemplate a truce in Ukraine, according to Russian sources.
Putin proposed freezing the battle at the current lines and refusing to cede any of Russia’s Ukrainian land, but the signal gave what some in the Kremlin considered the greatest road to some form of peace.
“The contacts with the Americans came to nothing,” a senior Russian source familiar with the discussions in late 2023 and early 2024 told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter.
US refuse to talk ceasefire without Ukraine: Russian sources
A second Russian source with knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters that the Americans told Moscow, through intermediaries, that they would not discuss a possible ceasefire without Ukraine’s participation, and therefore the contacts failed.
A third source familiar with the conversations stated, “Everything fell apart with the Americans.” The insider stated that the Americans did not want to put pressure on Ukraine.
The magnitude of the interactions, as well as their failure, have not previously been revealed.’
It comes as US President Joe Biden has been urging Congress for months to authorize extra funding for Ukraine, but has met opposition from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s backers.
The Kremlin, the White House, the US State Department, and the Central Intelligence Agency each declined to comment.
‘No back channel’ claims the US
In February 2022, Putin launched thousands of troops into Ukraine, sparking a full-fledged war after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian Ukrainians and Russian proxies.
Ukraine claims it is battling for its survival, while the West portrays Putin’s invasion as an imperial-style territory grab that threatens the post-Cold War international order.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, has stated that he will never accept Russia’s rule over Ukrainian territory. He has banned all connections with Russia.
A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in Washington, stated that the US has not engaged in any back-channel negotiations with Russia and has consistently refused to go over Ukraine’s back.
The US official stated that there appeared to be unofficial “Track II” communications among Russians outside of the government, but that the US was not involved in these.
According to the US official, Putin’s proposal, based on publicly available information, is unchanged from previous demands that Russia retain control of Ukrainian land. The person stated that there looked to be frustration in Moscow that Washington had repeatedly refused to accept it.
Last week, Putin told Tucker Carlson, a US talk show personality, that Russia was ready for “dialogue”.
Three Russian sources reported that intermediaries met in Turkey in late 2023.
According to a fourth diplomatic source, Russia initiated unofficial talks with the United States through intermediaries, but they proved to be ineffective.
US officials unaware of unofficial interaction through intermediaries
According to three Russian sources, Putin’s signal was transmitted to Washington, where top US officials such as White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Central Intelligence Agency Director Bill Burns, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met.
The plan was for Sullivan to speak with Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, and outline the next steps, one of the Russian sources said.
However, when the call came in January, Sullivan informed Ushakov that Washington was open to discussing other aspects of the relationship but would not discuss a cease-fire without Ukraine, according to one of the Russian sources.
The US official refused to comment on the specifics of Sullivan’s alleged calls, including whether such a chat with Ushakov occurred.
Putin’ready to fight on’
One of the Russian sources voiced dissatisfaction with the US for refusing to encourage Ukraine towards talks despite the fact that the US was funding the war.
“Putin said: ‘I knew they wouldn’t do anything’,” another of the Russian sources said. “They cut off the root of the contacts which had taken two months to create.”
Another Russian source stated that the US did not appear to believe Putin’s sincerity.
“The Americans didn’t believe Putin was genuine about a ceasefire – but he was and is – he is ready to discuss a ceasefire. But equally Putin is also ready to fight on for as long as it takes – and Russia can fight for as long as it takes,” the Russian source said.
According to Russian insiders, the Kremlin sees little purpose in continuing negotiations with the US on the matter, thus the conflict will continue.