War looms as US and Kiev ignore Minsk II Protocols

Kiev is missing a chance not only to avoid war but also to avoid the loss of its rogue pro-Russian territories

News on February 18 said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov late in the week of February 21, “provided there is no further Russian invasion of Ukraine,” according to the US State Department.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has spoken by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and others to discuss Russia’s military build-up.

The escalating military situation around Ukraine and incidents in eastern Ukraine, including a vehicle explosion about 100 meters from the headquarters of the Donetsk Republic, are increasing tension.

According to a Russian report, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Militia, Denis Sinenkov, was targeted by the blast that destroyed his car, but he was not hurt.

Western sources said the blast was a provocation by the breakaway Republics who also are evacuating citizens from Donetsk and Luhansk because these people, particularly women, children and the elderly, are in the potential line of fire.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated, for the umpteenth time, that the only basis for a settlement in eastern Ukraine is for Kiev to negotiate with the breakaway territories based on the Minsk II Protocols (2015).

The Minsk II Protocols were agreed by Kiev, representatives of the breakaway republics, Germany, France and Moscow plus a representative of the OSCE, which was given monitoring responsibilities under the deal to help secure a ceasefire among the parties.

The Minsk II Protocols’ most important provision, beyond the ceasefire – which has been repeatedly violated by both sides since 2015 incurring a significant loss of life and property damage – is that Luhansk and Donetsk would be allowed to become autonomous regions of the Ukrainian Republic, but would function more generally under Ukrainian law and would participate in Ukrainian politics, meaning representation in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament.