Putin says the Minsk agreements, which aimed at peace in eastern Ukraine, no longer exist

Ukrainian anti-Russia demonstration
(Image credit: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on Tuesday that the Minsk peace deal no longer exists, BBC reports.

Putin was referring to a pair of agreements, signed in 2014 and 2015 in Minsk, Belarus, which were intended to end fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Neither the initial Minsk Protocol nor the subsequent "Minsk II" agreement resulted in a lasting ceasefire, though many international observers continued to push for its full implementation as the best way of achieving peace.

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Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.