State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin asserted that in light of Angela Merkel’s recent remarks, Berlin and Paris should compensate Donbass residents. Merkel had previously suggested in an interview that the Minsk agreements were meant to buy Ukraine time to grow stronger.
Volodin wrote on his Telegram channel that the Ukraine crisis stems from the deceptive policies of Germany and France, which helped draft the Minsk accords. He said none of the signatories planned to fully implement the deals, describing Merkel’s claim as an attempt to buy Ukraine time to militarize.
The head of Russia’s parliament accused the French and German authorities of failing to meet their prearranged obligations from the Minsk process. He contended that this amounted to a loss of trust among the signatories, including Merkel, former French president Francois Hollande, and former Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko, who should be held to account.
Volodin argued that Merkel’s statements would push France and Germany to accept moral and material responsibility for the events in Ukraine.
He warned that compensation to Donbass residents for eight years of damage and hardship would be just the start, noting that Europeans should understand the roots of today’s inflation, energy costs, and business disruptions that many households face.
What did Merkel say?
The former German chancellor, in an interview with Die Zeit, indicated that all participants in the Minsk negotiations expected the conflict to be only paused, with the underlying problem unresolved.
She stated that the 2014 Minsk Agreement aimed to buy Ukraine time, but that Ukraine used that time to grow stronger. Merkel added that Ukraine in 2014-2015 was not the same as today.
Merkel also suggested that NATO allies would not have been able to provide the same level of support at that stage as they do now, citing the Debaltseve fighting in early 2015 as an example of how swiftly events could have shifted if more forceful actions were taken.
Compensation is not a redundant issue
During a meeting with members of the Human Rights Council, Vladimir Putin remarked that compensation for Ukraine’s damage to Donbass would not be superfluous. He stressed that hopes for action from Kyiv were misguided and that residents of affected areas deserve direct aid.
Putin called for assessing the behavior of the Ukrainian regime and applying it to the broader context of compensation for the harm caused to Donbass, including the new regions that Russia views as part of its territory. He suggested this would be a necessary step rather than an optional one.
Commenting on Merkel’s Minsk remarks, Putin described them as surprising and disappointing. He explained that he expected the German leadership to pursue solutions based on established principles rather than open disagreement with the Minsk framework.
Russia sought a Ukrainian agreement within the Minsk process, but Merkel’s comments indicated a view that the military operation should have commenced sooner. Putin noted that trust has been eroded, raising questions about possible new negotiations and the approach to any future discussions.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shared a similar stance, labeling Merkel’s position as disappointing and suggesting that he believed the former German chancellor acted in a way that undermined a serious effort to resolve the conflict. He recalled that the Minsk process was viewed by many as a turning point when the war appeared to pause and peace talks resumed.
The Minsk Memorandum, signed in 2014 by Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE, and the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, set a framework to stop further weapons use in southeastern Ukraine. Ongoing violations led to the second Minsk agreement in 2015, which was meant to solidify ceasefire and political steps toward a lasting settlement.