From Vilkha to Neptune: Ukraine’s Gains Under the Minsk Agreements

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As Trump and Putin prepare to meet in Alaska, time seems to stand still. Officials compete in patriotic rhetoric, while Zelenskyy’s supporters chant their mantra: There will be no Third Minsk.

“The Third Minsk”? And what was the previous Minsk like? Let’s remember.

The first Minsk agreement was signed in 2014, right in the middle of the “Revenge Raid” by the 95th and 79th airmobile brigades. With little more than bravado, President Poroshenko managed to convince the enemy that Ukraine had significant reserves for resistance. The second Minsk agreement followed the battle near Debaltseve, when Russia’s winter offensive plan collapsed and its strike force smashed into Ukrainian defenses.

So, what did the Minsk agreements contain?

The Minsk agreements bought Ukraine time. Putin now proclaims to the world that he was deceived by them — something I have said from the day they were signed.

After the signing of the Minsk agreements, the Armed Forces of Ukraine underwent a complete transformation — one that neither the COVID pandemic nor the “green” cutbacks could undo. Major economic reforms followed: new enterprises opened, Ryanair began flying to Ukraine, and business thrived. Ukraine established an autocephalous church, and the Ecumenical Patriarch granted it a Tomos. The country gained visa-free travel with the European Union, secured the Association Agreement, and established a free trade zone. In Mariupol, the private university Metinvest Polytechnic began operating — and where is it now?

And there’s more. Just a few years after the Minsk agreements, Ukrainians laughed off the idea of a full-scale war. They elected a government that called for “just stop shooting.” Fear had vanished.

Was it a coincidence? Read the text of the Minsk agreements yourself. Here’s what you’ll find:-

Moscow recognized Donbas as part of Ukraine and acknowledged the country’s territorial integrity. More than that, after the Minsk agreements, the international community did not question Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and Pompeo’s Crimean Declaration is proof of that. Remember how we were warned that “Givi and Motorola would end up in the Verkhovna Rada”? Where did they end up?

• The Minsk agreements contained no restrictions on the spread of the Ukrainian language or the Ukrainian church. And it showed. Ukrainian cinema and literature experienced a genuine renaissance during that time. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine was created.

• The Minsk agreements contained no restrictions on the size or armament of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was then that the army switched to modern membrane boots and the ukropixel camouflage. It was then that the Vilkha and Neptune missiles were tested. Trucks for the Armed Forces were produced in Ukraine — now we import them.

Do you remember?

Supporters of the current government declare that “there will be no Third Minsk.” Meaning, any new agreement should be significantly better than Minsk. Logical, isn’t it?

Just one question: when the Minsk agreements were signed, Ukraine itself was an active participant in the process. Petro Poroshenko’s principle of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” was strictly observed by all. Ukrainian representatives were always at the negotiating table. And now?

In Alaska, Trump and Putin will meet to decide Ukraine’s fate. Without Ukrainian representatives. Minsk, you say?

As a reminder, Trump announced that on Friday, August 15, he will travel to Russia, where he plans to meet with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

As reported, European politicians and the Ukrainian leadership sharply commented on the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, scheduled for August 15. They emphasized that the future of Ukraine and the security of Europe cannot be decided without the direct participation of Kyiv and Brussels.

By the way, European leaders issued a joint statement in support of Ukraine ahead of Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 26 of the 27 leaders of the European Union have made their position public, except Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

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