The agreement failed to achieve tangible progress. It also called for the withdrawal of “all foreign armed formations, military equipment, as well as mercenaries” from Ukraine and the reinstatement of Ukraine’s full control over its border. ![]() The agreement included a commitment by Kyiv to organise local elections and grant special status to the separatist-held areas in eastern Ukraine. It stipulated a ceasefire in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the withdrawal of military equipment by both sides. The Minsk II agreement-signed by Russia, Ukraine, the OSCE, and former separatist leaders Alexander Zakharchenko and Igor Plotnitski-was endorsed by the Security Council in resolution 2202 of 17 February 2015. The conflict, which erupted shortly after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, involved fighting between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists in the two regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The Minsk agreements-Minsk I (signed on 5 September 2014) and Minsk II-outlined steps for ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine through a political settlement. In this regard, the text reiterates the General Assembly’s demand that Russia withdraw all its forces from Ukraine. The draft text underscores the need to reach, as soon as possible, a peaceful settlement consistent with the UN Charter, including the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity. This year, however, Ukraine has requested the resumption of the 11th Emergency Special Session (ESS) on 22 February, during which UN member states will vote on a draft resolution underlining the principles of a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine. In previous years, the Council meeting on the Minsk II agreement has preceded the annual General Assembly debate on the agenda item “The situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine”, typically scheduled for 23 February. This year’s proceedings at the General Assembly around the anniversary of the Minsk II agreement will depart from past practice. Council members’ sharply opposing views on the implementation of the Minsk II agreement and whether it has played a role in fuelling large-scale conflict in Ukraine are likely to colour the discussions at tomorrow’s briefing. The last annual Council meeting on the Minsk II agreement took place on 17 February 2022, a week before Russia started its military incursion. This year’s meeting will take place in the altered context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Since 2019, Russia has organised a meeting annually on the occasion of the anniversary of the Minsk II agreement. Germany and Ukraine are expected to participate under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. The expected briefers are Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenča and Martin Sajdik, former Special Representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group. Russia requested the meeting to mark the eighth anniversary of the “Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements”, also known as the Minsk II agreement, adopted on 12 February 2015. Tomorrow morning (17 February), the Security Council will convene for an open briefing on Ukraine under the “Threats to international peace and security” agenda item. Ukraine: Meeting under the “Threats to International Peace and Security” Agenda Item
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