Since then there have been several reports, including from Foreign Affairs which said the UK at the time sought to sabotage the deal.

The draft peace treaty was drawn up by negotiators from both sides in April 2022, and reveals the thinking and objectives of Moscow at the time. The 17-page document has never been made public, with the WSJ for the first time on Friday divulging key sections and points.

Dated April 15, 2022, the document is said to lay out an agreement that turns Ukraine into a "permanently neutral state that doesn't participate in military blocs". It further stipulated that Ukraine must not build up its military using Western support and that Crimea must remain under Russian control.

The WSJ analysis admits that there were some deep concessions on the table from the Ukraine side, and further underscores many of these things would likely remain in place in any future deal where Ukraine would no doubt be inflicted with even more compromises given its forces are currently being rolled back by superior Russian military might.

"The draft treaty states that Ukraine, while being allowed to pursue European Union membership, wouldn't be allowed to join military alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization," according to the report. "No foreign weapons would be allowed on Ukrainian soil."

And importantly, "Ukraine's military would be pared down to a specific size." The proposed deal even sought to impose permanent limitations on the Ukraine armed forces' troop numbers: "Russia sought to limit everything from the number of troops and tanks to the maximum firing range of Ukrainian missiles."