Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says that it is necessary to look for solutions within the existing Minsk agreements on resolving the situation in Donbas, writing new agreements is a very risky way and is not an effective way to solve the problem.
“If we approach the current Minsk agreements as if they were something carved in stone, then nothing will take off, because reality is changing. We need to look for solutions within the existing agreements. Writing new agreements is a very risky way and is not an effective way of solving problems,” the minister said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, there is no readiness of the countries of the Normandy format to go down into the history of writing a fundamentally new Minsk-3, and without this one it is needed to be focused on the implementation of Minsk-2.
“Both Minsk-1 and Minsk-2 were negotiated under the pressure of the situation at the front. Now this pressure is absent. Accordingly, there are two ways: either we focus on finding ways to realize what we have, or we reject what we have and are writing something new. But there are two points here. First, the risks of being drawn into something new are much higher. Second, to go there, we need the desire of all parties, and I don’t see the readiness of the Normandy countries format to be involved in the story of writing a fundamentally new Minsk-3. And without this we must focus on the implementation of Minsk-2,” Kuleba said.
The minister stressed that the fundamental problem is not what is written in the Minsk agreements, but that the goal of the Russian Federation in relation to Ukraine remains unchanged. “The goal of the Russian Federation is the maximum weakening of Ukraine from within, and as long as this goal remains unchanged, we can have Minsk-3,4,5,6, but they will not be fulfilled either,” he said.
“Therefore, together with partners, we need to work with Russia in order to adjust its goal, and then everything can work. It is actually not so difficult to implement the second Minsk agreements, if only Russia agrees that they are really implemented. Even the border issue can be decided on request, but for this Russia must take a constructive approach to this,” Kuleba said.
