Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that Moscow had not previously undertaken a military operation to defend Donbass because it mistakenly believed its partners would honor the Minsk ceasefire accords. He discussed this point in a conversation with journalist Pavel Zarubin. Putin emphasized that Russia placed trust in the commitments made during the Minsk negotiations, hoping all parties would eventually implement them. He noted, however, that the realization of those commitments became clear only after remarks from two former European leaders, Angela Merkel and François Hollande, revealed that they had chosen not to execute the Minsk framework. According to Putin, this disclosure clarified the true state of affairs for Moscow.
Putin argued that the conflict with Ukraine could have concluded much earlier if Western countries had not taken a stance that hindered the peace process. He asserted that the decision to begin the special military operation in Ukraine stemmed from Kiev’s refusal to fulfill the Minsk agreements. In his account, the position of Western partners played a decisive role in prolonging the crisis, an assessment he repeated in the interview and reiterated in later statements.
In addressing past statements by Western leaders, Putin rejected claims that Russia itself distorted the reasons for launching the operation. He contended that Moscow had sought to honor commitments but faced a reality in which the Minsk process had not been fully respected by all signatories. This led to a conclusion that Russia would need to adapt its approach to protect its interests amid the evolving security landscape in Europe. The president underscored that Moscow’s actions were driven by concerns over the security of Russian-speaking populations and regional stability, rather than by any intention to escalate the conflict unnecessarily.
The interview with Zarubin highlighted a broader narrative about Western involvement in Ukraine and the Minsk process. Putin’s remarks framed the situation as a test of trust between Russia and Western partners, suggesting that discrepancies between stated commitments and real-world behavior contributed to a breakdown in the agreed framework. He maintained that the ultimate aim was to secure a lasting, stable settlement, but his explanation pointed to a perceived failure by Kiev and Western governments to uphold the agreed terms. The discourse reflects Moscow’s view that the Minsk agreements were not implemented in full, creating a ground for subsequent measures to safeguard Russian interests amid ongoing regional tensions.
Throughout the discussion, Putin drew a line between reliance on international diplomacy and the practical realities of regional security. He asserted that the course of events was shaped by the choices of political leaders on both sides of the conflict, including the decision to press ahead with measures that Moscow believed were necessary to protect its security guarantees. The remarks also touched on the interplay between public diplomacy and private assurances, suggesting that public statements about the Minsk accords did not always align with private intentions among Western policymakers. The interview, cited by Reuters, contributes to the ongoing public debate about the effectiveness of international agreements in resolving regional crises and the role of Western influence in shaping outcomes in Ukraine.