Minsk II has to Regain Momentum
“The Minsk agreement aiming at a solution to the Ukraine crisis has to be given fresh impetus, otherwise the conflict threatens to freeze,” declares Andrej Hunko, spokesperson for European policy of the parliamentary faction of DIE LINKE on occasion of the first anniversary of the signing of the Minsk II agreement. Hunko further:
“At the moment every side is blaming the others for the agreement’s insufficient implementation. This can only lead to a dead end. The blame game needs to stop, otherwise a further frozen conflict is imminent, or even a war of attrition at the expense of civil society.
Minsk II is still the best foundation for a political solution to the conflict. Therefore, all participants need to make concessions. First of all, a true ceasefire is urgently needed and the withdrawal of heavy armaments has to be completed. Kiev has to implement the constitutional reform and an amnesty law, and to initiate the federalisation of the country. I ask the German government to exert its influence on the Ukrainian government. Both sides are then obliged to cooperatively enable fair elections according to international standards and Ukrainian law in the so called people’s republics. Russia, as well as the EU countries, and the U.S. have to use their influence on the respective conflict party to make Minsk II a reality. In this context, EU sanctions against Russia are counterproductive. The German government tries by justifying them to transfer responsibility for the previous failure of the peace plan solely to Russia. That is cheap and bypasses reality. To relieve the sanctions would be a positive step towards an easing of tensions."