More than ten years ago, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on a ceasefire under independent documents known as Minsk Agreements. However, the different interpretations of their content and continued fighting have thwarted these peace efforts. Before Friday’s negotiations between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on a possible agreement on a ceasefire in Ukraine, it recalls The New York Times (NYT).
After the occupation of the Crimean Peninsula in February 2014, the fighting broke through the Ukrainian army and the pro -Russian separatists in April in the east of Ukraine. This conflict remains in the center of attention to this day.
The Minsk Agreements were made in the capital of Belarus, which is adjacent to both countries. The first agreement, the so -called. The Minsk Protocol (Minsk I) was signed in September 2014, the second – Minsk II – February 2015. They contained provisions on ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons, exchange of prisoners or organizing local elections in the self -appointed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republic. However, the fighting quickly disrupted its implementation.
Minsk II’s agreement was signed by representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the leaders of two sequest regions. Leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, who were at the time of signing the agreement in Minsk, issued statements about its support. The deficiencies of the agreement were soon manifested, especially because Russia was presented as an intermediary and not as a conflict party, wrote the American diary.
According to NYT Kiev and its allies, they emphasized the necessity of a ceasefire, while Russia tried to enforce the decentralization of Ukraine and its neutrality. Moscow wanted a federal system that would provide two regions with autonomy and sentence right on foreign policy issues and other decisions adopted in Kiev.
In practice, few provisions have been fulfilled – the exception of the exchange of prisoners after lengthy negotiations about their lists. Each party blamed the other for failure. In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an extensive invasion of Ukraine to dominate the country, concludes NYT.
