We need humanity, creativity and efficiency for Europe 3.0. South Tyrol Case for Donbass
Five years ago, in February 2015, the first steps towards a vision for peace in Ukraine were taken with the Minsk II ... ..., and the country remains a bleeding wound of Europe with a profound negative impact on the overall relationship between the Russian Federation and the West. The tragic deaths of more than 12,000 people and more than 23,000 injured remind us of the human ...
... achieve tactical, albeit quite tangible, successes in its policy on Russia and Iran.
Andrey Kortunov:
Will Putin and Macron Open a New Political Season?
However, the active approach of French diplomacy cannot influence progress in implementing the Minsk Agreements. The keys to resolving the conflict in Donbass are primarily held by Kiev and Moscow. That said, Macron was the first European leader to feel a change in the nature of Russian-Ukrainian relations and to try to use this new trend. The change of power in Kiev opened a narrow window of opportunity for cautious movement forward on Donbass. The new president of Ukraine intends to resolve the issue. His initiatives have received ...
... Many of his statements are contradictory. For instance, on the one hand, he spoke about his desire to stop the bloodshed in Donbass, restore the infrastructure destroyed during his predecessor’s tenure and hold talks with the Russian president. On the other hand, the new leader said he would refuse to grant special status to the uncontrolled territories ... ... the self-proclaimed republics would be out of the question. This can be interpreted as a step towards non-compliance with the Minsk agreements. Additionally, since Ukraine is a parliamentary-presidential republic, and since V. Zelensky does not have his ...
... movements that might terrorize the DPR/LPR territories, threaten their political opponents and contribute to the spread of crime in the region. It is possible that this could be followed by new waves of refugees and internally displaced persons from Donbass towards Russia.
Peacekeepers as a pretext for revising the Minsk agreements.
The Ukrainian version of a possible peacekeeping operation raises numerous questions in Moscow linked to the future of the Minsk agreements. Russia suspects Kiev of attempting to use the new settlement plan as a pretext for overhauling ...
... voiced in Kiev that the peacekeeping forces should have “peace-enforcement” as well as "peace-keeping” capacities in Donbass.
In the current situation, the “classical” international “peace enforcement” operation that the Ukrainian side ... ... positions is still possible, if the sides agree to see the achievement of lasting peace through the ceasefire envisioned by the Minsk Agreements as the primary goal of the peacekeeping mission.
In order to reach a compromise, it would be wise for Russia to agree to expand the mandate previously proposed by Moscow — that it should include both safeguarding OSCE observers ...
... to maintain the status quo in the U.S. posture or perhaps to make it even more anti-Russian. But the overriding priority is to prevent a radical change in U.S. policy.... ... assumption that any military actions under the present conditions are a low-risk affair. The Donbass self-defense forces are highly unlikely to launch major counter-offensives like... ... corner without fear of a powerful response. Simultaneously Kiev will torpedo the 2015 Minsk Agreements, which it perceives as imposed by foreign powers and the current military...
