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report in an article she wrote for Foreign Affairs saying that a deal was indeed agreed, and suggested the deal was only dropped after Johnson’s visit to Kyiv. However, unlike the other commentators on the deal, Hill didn't participate in the talks, but as one of the top US advisors on Russia, it is very likely she was informed of the details of the negotiations.
The story remains controversial, as those that decry it argue that Putin’s campaign in Ukraine is an imperial campaign to rebuild the Soviet Union and won’t accept that he would contemplate halting hostilities for any reason. Any deal was simply a ruse to buy some time to re-arm and resupply Russia’s forces before a fresh attack.
If the deal was done then that would confirm the argument that the war in Ukraine was provoked by the Kremlin’s fear of Nato’s eastern expansion up to Russia’s borders and Russia’s growing security concerns – something that Putin has been complaining about since his famous speech in 2007 at the Munich Security Conference.
The failure of the March 2022 peace negotiations makes the chances of a new peace deal that has been discussed recently less likely. Lavrov was dismissive of the chance of fresh talks during his UN comments, saying: "We already tried that and a deal was agreed, but [was] rejected by the West. Why should we try again?"
2.6 Ukraine's spluttering judicial reforms hit by fresh setback
Ukraine's judicial reforms were hit by a serious setback after the Rada undermined the Public Integrity Council, an independent watchdog that oversees the appointment of judges, Kyiv Independent reported on November 28.
On the tenth anniversary of the EuroMaidan Revolution, the Rada approved a bill in the first of three readings that could effectively dismantle the council by subordinating it to the High Qualification Commission, which would effectively make it impossible for the council to assess a judge’s integrity.
Ukraine’s court system is riddled with corrupt judges that makes them a tool for oligarchs and corrupt businessmen. What little action that has been taken against judges accused of corruption has been largely cosmetic. Reforming the system is high on the EU’s list of needed reforms as part of Ukraine’s accession process.
Previous attempts to clean up the system and fire corrupt judges have been stymied by vested interests that derailed earlier attempts to introduce some oversight to the selection and vetting of judges.
The Public Integrity Council, tasked with assessing the integrity of judges, is a key part of the reform, ensuring the judiciary's accountability and transparency. The new bill aims to hinder the council's ability to evaluate judges' integrity.
The problems with cleaning up the system has been thrown into stark relief by the case of notorious judge Pavlo Vovk, who has been the target of multiple corruption claims, who remains in his job, despite being suspended and his tainted Kyiv District Administrative Court dissolved. The High Anti-Corruption court case against him stalled in June 2022.
Vovk has become a litmus test for judicial reforms. Recordings from 2019-21 made by National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) allegedly capture
15 UKRAINE Country Report December 2023 www.intellinews.com