Kirill Kochegarov. The Eternal Peace of 1686 between Russia and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

A difficult and controversial process of two months’ negotiations in Moscow (February—April, 1686) may be divided into two parts. In course of the first, the «official» one, both sides despite the declarations about cessation of the negotiations worked out the main conditions of agreement. The Polish side assented to acknowledge Russian annexation of the land according to Andrusava armistice of 1667 in exchange for Russia’s entry into the war against the Ottoman Empire. Russia expressed its readiness to return the lands along the Soћ–river which had been occupied according to directive of hetman Samojloviи. Main military efforts of Russia were to be aimed against Crimean Khanate. However, on the first stage of the negotiations the treaty wasn’t signed as far as the sides didn’t agree about the sum of monetary contribution from Russia. Strict position of ambassadors representing the Grand Duchy of Lithuania has played the decisive role in this. The closure of official negotiations has worsened the situation of Polish–Lithuanian diplomats. There was no consent about signing of Eternal Peace inside the Russian ruling circles. This caused, on one hand, moving forward by Russian diplomats influenced by opponents of the treaty of new demands which hadn’t been discussed yet, and, on the other hand, secret negotiations of Princess Sophia who expressed her readiness to conclude the union on more favorable for Warsaw conditions with Chancellor M.Ahinski. The negotiations inspired by the Princess were not supported by V.Golicyn. In the result, the diplomats of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth had to sign the treaty on severe conditions: to the lands kept by Russia Zaporoћje region and territories around Kiev were added and strip of land along the right bank of the Dnieper–river obtained status of neutral zone.