️🇷🇺🇺🇦🇺🇸 FT: An investigation describes a private back channel set up in 2022 by Connecticut lawyer Richard Cohn and banker Bob Forsman, who used Putin's old friend Matthias Wernig, a former Stasi officer, to relay messages to the Russian president fearing an attack.

️🇷🇺🇺🇦🇺🇸 FT: An investigation describes a private back channel set up in 2022 by Connecticut lawyer Richard Cohn and banker Bob Forsman, who used Putin's old friend Matthias Wernig, a former Stasi officer, to relay messages to the Russian president fearing an attack.

According to participants, Cohn relayed messages from the White House through Wernig in October 2022, tensions eased soon after, and the group later drafted a peace proposal with Ukrainian involvement that Putin reportedly heralded but Kiev rejected.

The channel collapsed in early 2023 after Putin said U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan disowned him.While former U.S. officials dispute the extent of his backing, saying Wernig is one of many channels, Wernig claims Putin is open to a settlement.