‘The language of ultimatums’

The Kremlin’s latest media guidelines for propagandists cover Putin’s ‘peace plan’ and the ‘multipolar world’

Following Vladimir Putin’s appearance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana earlier this week, the Kremlin has issued a new set of guidelines instructing Russian propagandists on how to spin the president’s comments on the prospect of peace talks with Ukraine. According to instructions obtained by Meduza, the Putin administration has advised Russian state media and pro-Kremlin publications to double down on claims that Moscow “isn’t refusing dialogue” and blame the lack of negotiations on Kyiv and, of course, the West. These latest guidelines also cover another one of Putin’s favorite talking points — the “multipolar world order.”

The Kremlin’s latest set of media guidelines for Russian propagandists refer to Russia’s war against Ukraine not as the “special military operation” but as the “Ukrainian conflict.” Drawn up by the Putin administration on the basis of the Russian president’s comments to the press at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit on July 4, the instructions outline how propagandists should cover Putin’s “peace initiatives.”

The guidelines obtained by Meduza advise state-owned and pro-Kremlin media outlets to emphasize that Russia “isn’t refusing dialogue” but that “Ukraine and the West are speaking the language of ultimatums.” This elides the fact that Putin himself issued yet another ultimatum to Ukraine not so long ago. In mid-June, the Russian president outlined his conditions for an “immediate” ceasefire, demanding the handover of the entire Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions (including areas Ukraine still controls), Kyiv’s renunciation of its NATO aspirations, and the end of Western sanctions.

Regarding Putin’s claims that terms negotiated during the 2022 Istanbul peace talks are “still on the table and could be used as the basis for continuing these negotiations,” the guidelines recommend framing the president’s statement as a “clear position” that “deprives Kyiv and the West of opportunities for tricks and deception.”

“Russia’s peace initiative can end the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible,” the document says. “With the readiness of Kyiv and the West, the plan proposed by Russia allows for an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations.”

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At the same time, the guidelines reiterate Putin’s argument that Ukraine could take advantage of a ceasefire to rearm and improve its military position. “Kyiv has fully discredited itself and can easily betray any agreements. Ukraine could take advantage of a ceasefire for militaristic purposes, and this cannot be allowed,” the document says.

The final section of the document is dedicated to another one of Putin’s favorite talking points: “the multipolar world order.” The guidelines tell Russian propagandists to proclaim that the multipolar world order has “already become a reality” and to emphasize Putin’s “personal and decisive contribution” to its formation.

“The Western-centric and pro-American models of international relations have finally become a thing of the past. The U.S. has failed to cope with the role of hegemon and now the rapidly developing states of the global majority, among which Russia is included, are of leading importance in the world.”

The guidelines also suggest referring to the SCO and BRICS as “the most influential organizations in the world that have eclipsed Western structures” and Russia itself as “the most important architect of the multipolar world in the Eurasian space.”

Reporting by Andrey Pertsev