Stalin considered handing Ukraine & Baltic Republics to Germany

[EtienneSC]

This is a new piece of research on diplomatic feelers put out by Stalin to Germany on a truce with redrawn borders shortly after the German invasion:
http://www.eurasiareview.com/20062016-stalin-considered-giving-hitler-ukraine-and-baltic-republics-oped/

A few days after Hitler broke his alliance with Stalin and invaded the Soviet Union, the Soviet dictator used a diplomatic back channel to explore whether the Nazi leader would be prepared to end the war if Stalin agreed to hand over to German rule Ukraine, the Baltic republics and perhaps even more.

That is the conclusion of a Friday article by historian Nikita Petrov in “Novaya gazeta” an article that undercuts both Stalin’s carefully cultivated stance as someone who was prepared to fight the invader to the end and Vladimir Putin’s use of World War II as a legitimating and mobilizing tool in Russia today (novayagazeta.ru/comments/73493.html).

The history of these events is by its very nature murky and can be reconstructed only by a careful reading of Russian archival materials, Petrov suggests.

I'm not sure how this compares to Suvarov's interpretation in Icebreaker of Soviet military and diplomatic policy. It seems though, that the available evidence allows many interpretations of Stalin's policy and the history of diplomacy.

[Hektor]

I'd take it that Stalin would consider all the options thinkable for him:
- A truce with leaving parts of the Soviet Empire to the Axis.
- Fight to the end Victory or death.
- Unconditional Surrender

The last one would be out of the question I think. Nobody ever considers unconditional surrender, unless he's completely vanquished anyway.

The USSR got massive assistance and supplies from the Western Allies. That might be the reason they simply continued.

Now assume their would be a Hitler-Stalin Truce in 1942. That would have left the Western Allies i.e. Britain and the US. With an egg in their face. They'd have lost the North African Campaign and could forget completely of any invasion of Europe. After that they'd have a lot of explaining to do. Since their leaders engineered that war and didn't get the advantage of "Being Victorious". So no Heros-Halo there.

[Depth Charge]

Another offer came through on February 19th 1942, which the Germans rejected. And another before Kursk, rejected again. These were possibly quite correctly interpreted as a play for time.

[Hektor]

Another offer came through on February 19th 1942, which the Germans rejected. And another before Kursk, rejected again. These were possibly quite correctly interpreted as a play for time.

Can you back this up with some documentation, links, etc.?

[Depth Charge]

On the Feb. 19th proposal;

http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2002/430215.shtml

Later, Molotov met with Ribbentrop before Kursk at Kirovograd in June 1943. The source for that is Liddell Hart (History of the Second World War, 1970). Molotov wanted 1941 borders restored, Ribbentrop said that this was unacceptable. I believe this was the last diplomatic meeting between Germany and the USSR. Kursk was a disaster and a definitive strategic turning point.