“According to Kurt Volker, NATO remains the only effective security guarantee capable of preventing another Russian attack on Ukraine”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
Previous agreements, which failed, provided for a ceasefire and followed the defeats of the Ukrainian army in Donbas, he recalled.
“It seems to me that people understand that the Minsk agreements were a technique that diverted attention. They were used by Russia to involve everyone in going around in circles with minor issues, while at the same time it planned to dominate Ukraine,” Kurt Volker emphasized in an interview with Radio Liberty.
The diplomat believes that there is now a clear understanding of the difference between the cessation of hostilities and the end of the war, which cannot be ended unless fundamentally new steps are taken.
“You need real security guarantees for Ukraine, not some suspended state or uncertain status for it based on shaky agreements that Russia will not fulfill,” Volker said.
According to the former high-ranking official, NATO remains the only effective guarantee of security capable of preventing another Russian attack on Ukraine.
The Minsk agreements concluded in September 2014 and February 2015 provided for a ceasefire and the disbandment of troops in Donbas, the holding of local elections in this region and its return to the control of Ukraine. The agreements declared these provisions, but did not stipulate their order. Because of this, the agreements were not actually implemented: Moscow insisted on the priority of holding elections, Ukraine demanded the renewal of control over the state border before any vote.
At the end of 2024, one of the diplomats of the European Union told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity that he does not see any positive scenarios for Ukraine, there are “bad or even worse ones”. “There will be a hard landing… I think we are heading to Minsk-3,” the EU representative said.