German embassy in Moscow reportedly drafted secret 2024 Ukraine peace plan, Bild reports

In brief

• Bild reports that the German embassy in Moscow drafted a confidential 2024 peace plan for Ukraine.
• The proposal would put disputed eastern Ukrainian territories under UN administration for five years, followed by a referendum.
• The newspaper names diplomat Martin Nissen as author, but the report leaves key details unclear.

Secret proposal drafted in Moscow

According to an investigation by the German newspaper Bild, the German embassy in Moscow developed a separate, confidential plan in 2024 for settling the war in Ukraine (Таємний мирний план для України: BILD з’ясував, що пропонували у посольстві Німеччини в РФ – TSN). The newspaper says the proposal was shaped during discussions in which diplomats from the United States and Russia also took part, citing a source close to the talks.

What the plan envisioned

The document, dated 2024, proposes handing so-called disputed territories in eastern Ukraine to United Nations administration for five years. At the end of that period, residents would vote in a referendum on whether they want to remain part of Ukraine or join Russia. Bild does not specify which areas it means, leaving open whether it refers to Russian-occupied parts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions or to Donbas territory still controlled by Kyiv.

Author and document

Bild identifies the author as German diplomat Martin Nissen, who at the time handled agricultural issues at the embassy. The document, titled "Agriculture Needs Peace," is reported to be in Bild's possession. According to the report, contacts for Nissen were being arranged in Moscow, but the details of those arrangements are not fully set out in the reporting.

Open questions

The report does not say whether the plan was ever formally submitted to the Ukrainian government or to the German government in Berlin, and it is unclear what status the proposal had within the diplomatic service.