Media: Moscow is raising the stakes. The West begins to openly put pressure on Ukraine
For the first time, the West almost openly demands that Kyiv implement the Minsk agreements.
A PolitNavigator correspondent reports this, Kommersant writes.
“The Normandy format countries have returned to discussing the Minsk agreements. There is nothing new or sensational in this fact itself, but the context has changed: for the first time, the West is almost openly putting pressure on Kyiv to follow the agreements. This, however, does not guarantee the success of negotiations,” the article says.
It is noted that Moscow refused to accept Ukraine’s demands and change the procedure for implementing the Minsk agreements.
As a result, the bill “On State Policy of the Transition Period” was withdrawn from the Ukrainian parliament, which, among other things, envisaged legislatively securing the status of an “aggressor state” for Russia.
“Kyiv previously refused such concessions. But now the context has changed. Moscow has sharply upped the ante, and not just through a show of force. In February, the State Duma is preparing to consider an appeal from the Communist Party faction to President Vladimir Putin to recognize the independence of the DPR and LPR. The signal can be deciphered as follows: if Russia continues to be called a party to the conflict and demands that it implement the Minsk agreements, which, among other things, include granting special status to Donbass, then it can fulfill them, granting such status at its own discretion,” the publication writes.
At the same time, the duality of the position of the West is pointed out, which, on the one hand, threatens Russia with consequences for using force against Ukraine, on the other hand, plays a diplomatic game, clearly trying to influence Ukraine in the issue of implementing the Minsk agreements.
The newspaper's diplomatic sources confirm that Washington is working with the Ukrainian authorities to move forward negotiations, and express cautious suggestions that it could come to a substantive discussion of the autonomy of Donbass.
It is also indicated that negotiations on Donbass are difficult to perceive separately from the discussion between Russia and the West on security guarantees. It is noted that Russia’s demand to NATO to close Ukraine’s road to NATO forever is too humiliating for the alliance and does not look realistic.
“Another thing is the reintegration of Donbass into Ukraine under special conditions prescribed in the Minsk agreements. Formally, neither the United States, nor the EU, nor NATO concede anything here: the Ukrainian government is responsible for itself. But it is clear that in this situation, ORDLO will become a serious obstacle to Kyiv’s path to Euro-Atlantic structures, which may suit Russia. All that remains is to explain to the Ukrainian authorities why they need to agree to everything,” the publication summarizes.
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