A peace agreement aimed at defusing heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine is being proposed as a possible way out of the crisis.
Top officials from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany met in Berlin on Thursday to discuss ways of implementing the charter, known as the 2015 Minsk Agreement.
Key issues surrounding the pact remain unresolved. But could it mean for international security and peace? Here’s everything you need to know.
Also known as Minsk II, the document was drawn up in the Belarusian capital in 2015, in a bid to end a bloody 10-month conflict in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
The area had been taken over by pro-Russian separatists in 2014, with the Ukrainian government in Kyiv stating that the Donbas and the Crimean Peninsula were under Russian occupation.
Ukraine and the West accused Russia of backing separatists with troops and weapons. Moscow rejected the accusations, saying that any Russians who fought in the east were volunteers.
The package of measures aimed at creating peace in the region were signed by representatives of Russia, Ukraine, the separatist leaders and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Minsk II was also endorsed by a UN Security Council resolution.
To date, more than 14,000 people have died in the conflict.
Conditions included an OSCE-monitored cease-fire, a pullback of heavy weapons and foreign fighters from the line of contact and an exchange of prisoners.
In a major coup for Russia, the document also obliged Ukraine to grant special status to the separatist regions, allowing them to create their own police force and have a say in appointing local prosecutors and judges.
However, despite being a signatory, Russia’s role in the conflict was not acknowledged. In fact, the word “Russia” does not appear anywhere in the dossier. This has enabled the Kremlin to claim that it is merely an observer, rather than a supporter of separatists in the east of Ukraine, and that the matter is part of Ukraine internal affairs.
The agreement also stipulated that Ukraine could only regain control over the region after securing self-rule and holding OSCE-monitored local elections, a move that would almost certainly keep pro-Moscow rebels in power.
Minsk II was also devised in haste and the language is imprecise, meaning that Russia and Ukraine have interpreted it to mean very different things.
The deal was resented by many Ukrainians, who saw it as a betrayal of national interests and widespread hostility to the bill has arguably blocked its implementation.
Russia February 7, 2022. Sputnik/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo" />
Minsk II is being hailed by some as a possible way to pacify Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron has been at the forefront of diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions between the country, describing the agreement as “the only path allowing to build peace … and find a sustainable political solution.”
However, Ukrainian officials have been increasingly critical of the document in the face of Western calls to implement the agreement.
Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, told The Associated Press last week the deal was signed “under a Russian gun barrel,” and warned that “the fulfilment of the Minsk agreement means the country’s destruction.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba argued that the Kremlin wants to use the deal to reintegrate the rebel regions into Ukraine, while retaining power. “This is not going to happen,” he said.
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that he disliked every point of Minsk II, a comment that drew a taunting remark from President Putin.
“Like it or not, you have to bear with it, my beauty,” Mr Putin replied, using a coarse verse from Russian folklore. “You have to fulfil it. It will not work otherwise.”
Additional reporting by AP
