The Russian presidential envoy for Ukraine offered the Russian leader a preliminary deal with Kyiv that would satisfy Russia’s demand for Ukraine to withdraw from NATO, but Putin refused and continued the military operation, Reuters reported, citing sources close to Russia. leadership.

According to sources, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Kozak, a native of Ukraine, told Putin that he believed the agreement reached several months ago eliminated the need for Russia to pursue a large-scale occupation of Ukraine, and recommended that the Russian president accept the agreement.

A spokesman for Russian President Dmitry Peskov said: “This has absolutely nothing to do with reality. This is completely false information.”

Kozak did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Advisor to the President of Ukraine Mikhail Podolyak did not confirm the existence of a preliminary agreement. “Today we clearly understand that the Russian side has never been interested in a peaceful settlement,” Podolyak said.

Sources cited by Reuters said efforts to reach an agreement ceased shortly after the February 24 invasion. Kozak believed that within a few days he managed to convince Ukraine to agree to the main terms of Russia, and he invited Putin to sign the deal, Reuters reported, citing sources..

“After February 24, Kozak acted in the dark: he was given the go-ahead, he made a deal. He returned it and was told to leave. Everything was cancelled. Putin changed the plan,” one of the sources said.