In order to justify the attack on Ukraine, the Kremlin claims that Moscow has always tried to implement the Minsk peace agreement. The West, on the other hand, has prepared Kiev for an attack on Russia. One of the authors of the contract from the Russian side now contradicts Moscow’s account.
According to an interview with a former high-ranking Russian official, the Kremlin defends itself against the allegation that it did not take the Minsk peace plan seriously even before the invasion of Ukraine. Vladislav Surkov, former advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, explained in a conversation with the pro-government political scientist Alexei Chesnakov that he had not assumed when the Minsk Agreement was being drafted that it would be complied with. Surkov – one of the authors of the contract from the Russian side – did not provide any further information in the lightning interview published by Telegram.
In doing so, Surkov contradicted President Putin’s account. The head of the Kremlin has repeatedly complained that Russia was interested in a peaceful solution but had been “led by the nose” by the West.
Surkov was Deputy Prime Minister of Russia from 2011 to 2013. He then held the post of adviser to President Putin until 2020. According to media reports, he describes himself as one of the authors of Putinism – Russia’s political system characterized by authoritarianism and nationalism. He also took part in the Minsk negotiations in the capacity of Kremlin adviser.
The agreement was concluded in 2015 in the Belarusian capital with Franco-German mediation between Russia and Ukraine. The aim was to pacify the east of Ukraine, which was already under Russian influence. However, most of the commitments were never implemented. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for this.
The government in Moscow has already denied Surkov’s statement. “The goal was to fulfill and implement the agreements and to achieve regulation (of the conflict),” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax news agency.
A few weeks ago, former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko explained in a BBC documentary that the Minsk Agreement gave the leadership in Kiev time to build a powerful army. Former Chancellor Merkel previously said in an interview that the agreement gave Ukraine time to become stronger. The Russian leadership reinterpreted the statements. According to the Kremlin chief, the West would have used the time to prepare Ukraine for an attack on Russia.
