Russia bears the greatest responsibility for Minsk negotiations failure - France at the UN

The Russian Federation bears the greatest responsibility for the failure of the Minsk negotiation process. From the very beginning, Moscow's goal was to destabilize the situation in Ukraine.

This was stated at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on February 12, the anniversary of the signing of the Minsk agreements, by the Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, Nathalie Estival-Broadhurst. She was quoted by Ukrinform. It should be noted that the meeting was convened by representatives of Moscow.

The diplomat said that the Russian Federation "has been contributing to the growth of tension in Donbas for seven years."

In 2016, Russia withdrew from the ceasefire verification mechanism. The Kremlin also helped ensure that the decisions made during the Paris Summit in December 2019 were not implemented.

"It [Russia] refused to negotiate in good faith, claiming to be a mediator, although it was clearly a party to the conflict. Its goal was to destabilize Ukraine from the very beginning," Broadhurst emphasized.

In her opinion, until February 24, 2022, when the Russian army launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, "there was a possibility of a peaceful settlement."

"France and Germany put a lot of effort into the Normandy format negotiations. In the days and weeks leading up to the invasion, the French President and the German Chancellor intensified their efforts to de-escalate. "Both states tirelessly and sincerely tried to help Russia and Ukraine find a common position for the implementation of the Minsk agreements from 2015 to 2022," the diplomat added.

Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!