... will see that Russia is not mentioned in the Agreements at all. It is up to the parties to the conflict – Kiev and Donbass – to fulfil their obligations. It was absolutely wrong to link the internal conflict in Ukraine with EU – Russia relations. Russia had worked constructively on the Minsk Agreements, as had Germany and France. But once they were signed, unilateral measures against my country were further toughened. It is absurd.
Why is it? Russia has been clearly identified as a destabilising factor in Eastern Ukraine.
The EU should ...
... years, and World War II was only two years longer. Five years after Minsk, the crisis in and around Ukraine is yet to be resolved, and the country remains a bleeding wound of Europe with a profound negative impact on the overall relationship between the Russian Federation and the West. The tragic deaths of more than 12,000 people and more than 23,000 injured remind us of the human suffering in this conflict on all sides.
Many hoped that the Normandy summit in December 2019 would become a historic breakthrough,...
... pendulum hasn’t reached its high point yet, and that the distribution of political power in 2020 will continue to change in Russia’s favor. Moreover, it says that the degree to which Zelenskiy is independent from Ukrainian oligarch groups is still ... ... forces. Consequently, Moscow should not rush with new initiatives or proposals, especially if they will lead to a revision of the Minsk agreements.
If the first point of view is geared toward achieving a breakthrough in the coming year, the second says that ...
Russia need not concern itself about a new security architecture in Europe: eventually, one will grow out of its ongoing confrontation with the United States, together with the combined impact of Moscow’s rapprochement with Beijing and the evolving ...
... these agreements but insisted that Russia should abide by them.
The EU found a very peculiar way of keeping the Minsk agreements afloat. It made a decision that still remains its mantra: the EU is eager to lift sanctions and will do this as soon as Russia fulfils the Minsk agreements. In this way the EU sent a signal to Poroshenko: Ignore the Minsk agreements and your desire for continued sanctions against Russia will materialise. This position is obvious to me and I am convinced it is obvious to all responsible politicians ...
... European countries in promoting a dialogue with Russia. Finally, Paris has displayed a resourceful approach, and the will to resolve the problems around Iran’s nuclear deal. Macron can achieve tactical, albeit quite tangible, successes in its policy on Russia and Iran.
Andrey Kortunov:
Will Putin and Macron Open a New Political Season?
However, the active approach of French diplomacy cannot influence progress in implementing the Minsk Agreements. The keys to resolving the conflict in Donbass are primarily held by Kiev and Moscow. That said, Macron was the first European leader to feel a change in the nature of Russian-Ukrainian relations and to try to use this new trend. The ...
... “Russian threat” and failed to gain support of the majority of voters, who simply did not see any such threat and were far more concerned with the social agenda. However, some of V. Zelensky’s other statements (including those that contradict the Minsk agreements, such as bringing the United States and the United Kingdom into the Normandy format) speak to the fact that V. Zelensky and his entourage will most likely act within the paradigm of the big Euro-Atlantic game directed against Russia’s interests. His intention to advance the fight against Moscow for the minds and sentiments of Ukrainians testifies to the same fact.
What will change in Ukraine’s foreign policy?
Aleksandr Gushchin:
Ukraine’s policy will remain oriented ...
... and American leaders. The cancellation of the meeting on the margins of the Buenos Aires summit is therefore not good news.
Andrey Kortunov:
Russia and Ukraine: Four Scenarios for the Future
What can Europe do to restore a normalized dialogue with Russia? How should such a dialogue tackle the case of Ukraine?
Andrey Kortunov
Europe could potentially play a significant role in the resolution of the crisis with Ukraine, more so than the US, which is not part of the Minsk agreements. The Ukraine issue is primarily European, which means that Europe can and should be involved in its resolution. This might require a more active engagement from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a consultation ...
... refugees and internally displaced persons from Donbass towards Russia.
Peacekeepers as a pretext for revising the Minsk agreements.
The Ukrainian version of a possible peacekeeping operation raises numerous questions in Moscow linked to the future of the Minsk agreements. Russia suspects Kiev of attempting to use the new settlement plan as a pretext for overhauling the Minsk agreements, or even abandoning them outright, particularly those provisions that concern political reform.
[vi]
In addition, should the Ukrainian ...
... should safeguard the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission only, provided that the observers are fulfilling their obligations as set out in the Minsk Agreements. Any other use of the peacekeepers would effective constitute an on-the-ground revision of the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is firmly opposed. Accordingly, the number of Blue Helmets in Eastern Ukraine should be modest — preferably a few hundred, or a few thousand at the most.
The Ukrainian side is insisting on a “full” UN peacekeeping mission in the territories ...
