An American lawyer and investors with long-standing ties to Russia have organized an unofficial channel for contacts between the Joe Biden administration and Vladimir Putin in 2022 and early 2023, the Financial Times reports. The goal was to reduce the risk of nuclear escalation and explore options for ending the war in Ukraine.
The initiator of the channel was Richard Cohn, an American corporate lawyer and investor who had worked in Russia since 1992 as the founder of the Russian office of Latham & Watkins. In March 2022, an unnamed Russian businessman sought him out over concerns that the failure of the Russian attack on Kiev could prompt Putin to use tactical nuclear weapons.
Message from the Biden administration
Kohn contacted American investor Bob Forsman, who has held senior positions at ING Barings, Renaissance Capital, Barclays, UBS, and Dresdner. Through Dresdner, Forsman knew Matthias Warnig, a German businessman, former head of the “Nord Stream“ and “Nord Stream 2“ projects, and a longtime acquaintance of the Russian president.
On the American side, Eric Green, responsible for Russia on the US National Security Council under Biden, also participated in the initiative. On October 4, 2022, Kohn and Forsman met with Warnig in Zurich. Cohn then delivered a message to him in Germany, which the Financial Times said came from the White House:
“The United States is not seeking regime change. We are not trying to destroy Russia. We want peace.“
On October 26, at Frankfurt airport, Warnig handed Cohn and Forssmann a response he had written down in a notebook. The Financial Times said it was not entirely clear whether the quote reproduced Putin's exact words or represented Warnig's understanding of what was said.
The response stated that Putin was open to negotiations and wanted a long-term solution for Ukraine, but saw no room for retreat and was prepared to continue the war. The next day, October 27, 2022, Putin stated at a meeting of the Valdai Club that for Russia the use of nuclear weapons had no "political or military meaning".
Proposals for Moscow and Kiev
In parallel with this channel, Jake Sullivan and Yuri Ushakov were conducting confidential contacts through official channels. However, Cohn and Forsman decided to continue with an attempt to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
Through businessman Michael Calvi, Cohn reached out to Ukrainian producer Alexander Rodnyansky, an acquaintance of Vladimir Zelensky. Warnig and Rodnyansky submitted proposals to the Russian and Ukrainian leadership, according to which Russia should withdraw from most of the territories annexed in 2022. The plan called for Ukraine to recognize Russian control of Crimea and provide a land corridor to the peninsula, while NATO countries would provide guarantees for Ukraine's security.
According to the Financial Times, Warnig handed over the proposals to Putin on February 1, 2023. The Russian president examined them in detail and ruled out Ukraine's membership in NATO, but allowed membership in the European Union with another form of military guarantee. Zelensky and his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, rejected the concessions.
The informal talks effectively ended on February 18, 2023, after a meeting in Zurich. According to Warnig, Putin told Ushakov about the canal and asked Sullivan to confirm that the American mediators were indeed representing US interests. Sullivan did not provide such confirmation and stated that official contacts between Washington and Moscow were sufficient.
At the end of the story, Warnig described a personal meeting with Putin after the imposition of European sanctions and the difficulties they created for his family in Germany. When he observed the change in the Russian president's behavior, Putin replied: “Power is a drug.“
Sources: meduza.io, ft.com