What was the main outcome of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

The main outcome of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was the end of Russian participation in World War I. Signed on March 3, 1918, between Soviet Russia and the Central Powers, this treaty allowed Russia to withdraw from the conflict and negotiate peace terms following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. The treaty was significant as it facilitated the new Soviet government's focus on consolidating power internally without the burden of fighting a large-scale war on the Eastern Front.

While the treaty resulted in substantial territorial losses for Russia, which included areas that would later become part of modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states, it effectively removed Russia from the war, allowing Germany and its allies to concentrate their military efforts in the west. The end of Russian engagement in WWI had broader implications for the war's progression and for the national and international landscape that emerged thereafter. This context underscores why the outcome of the treaty is understood primarily in terms of its role in ceasing Russian involvement in the global conflict.