Destined for deadlock? Russia, Ukraine, and the unfulfilled Minsk agreements

Author
Åtland, Kristian
Date Issued
2020-01-27
Keywords
Internasjonal politikk
Russland
Ukraina
Sikkerhetspolitikk
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12242/2700
DOI
10.1080/1060586X.2020.1720443
Collection
Articles
Description
Åtland, Kristian. Destined for deadlock? Russia, Ukraine, and the unfulfilled Minsk agreements. Post-Soviet Affairs 2020 ;Volum 36.(2) s. 122-139
1784644.pdf
Size: 1M
Abstract
Bringing peace, security, and stability to the war-torn region of Donbas has proven to be a challenging — some would say near-impossible — task. The "Minsk II" agreement, signed in February 2015, was supposed to put an end to the armed hostilities, resolve the underlying political issues, and gradually restore Ukrainian government control of the country’s eastern border. None of this has happened. Despite continuous Western support and pressure, progress in the implementation of the peace plan signed in Minsk has been slow, also after the much-anticipated Paris summit of the "Normandy Four" (Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France) in December 2019. This article discusses the underlying causes of the current stalemate, emphasizing factors such as the inherently complex nature of the conflict, the process through which "Minsk II" came into being, the vague and ambiguous language of this and other agreements, practical challenges related to the timing and sequencing of agreed-upon measures, and Russia’s persistent non-acknowledgement of its role in the conflict.
View Meta Data