Zelensky: Minsk agreements “trap” that allowed Russia to prepare for war

The head of state said this during the session of the 50th Ambrosetti international forum, which is being held in Italy, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The Minsk deal was a trap, and unfortunately, part of Europe supported this trap of Russia’s. The Minsk deal is the worst that can happen, something that must in no way be revisited, which is a frozen conflict. This is a pause that would allow Russia, as the aggressor, to prepare. And that’s what Russia did," Zelensky said.

He noted that while Minsk agreements remained valid, Ukraine was in a gray zone for everyone – not only for its population, but also for investors. "What kind of investor will invest in Ukraine, even though Ukraine has rich lands? No one, because it is not clear what will happen to Ukraine next, because there is no 100% support from Europe, the world, and there was no 100% understanding of what would happen to Russia," the president said.

Russia, he went on to say, created a frozen conflict, then developed its industry, and prepared for a full-scale invasion should Ukraine choose its own path. The path to independence, the path to Europe.

"Therefore, the Minsk deal cannot be compared with real security guarantees because the Minsk deal is a frozen conflict. It was difficult for everyone to implement it. I tried. I tried to do what the President should do – I came (to participate - ed.) in the Normandy format meeting. It was a meeting involving Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine. I spoke with him (Vladimir Putin - ed.). And we agreed with him that there would be a ceasefire. Today, many are talking about a ceasefire. I went through several ceasefires with Putin. We agreed, and after a while they started killing us on the contact line. I called him back and said: we agreed on a ceasefire. He replied: yes, we will fix it now. But time passed and they started killing us again. They were preparing, so there must be no frozen conflict," Zelensky emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on February 22, 2022, ahead of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the Minsk Agreements ceased to exist as Russia recognized the independence of the "DPR/LPR" entities in eastern Ukraine.