US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that he believes Ukraine could move forward with implementing a special status for the Donbass region with "appropriate sequencing". He went on to add that steps towards this status should be taken in accordance with the Minsk agreements.
"The [Minsk] agreements speak of special status for the Donbas and I believe that with the appropriate sequencing, Ukrainians would be prepared to move forward", Blinken said.
Blinken went on to say that Washington and Kiev are in agreement that the Minsk accords should be respected and that they are the only way to peace in Ukraine's east. He also claimed that Kiev scrupulously adheres to the Minsk agreements' provisions and alleged that Russia, in turn, does not.
Ukraine's Long List of Failures at Implementing Minsk Agreements
The secretary of state's claims contradict Russia's view of the problem, as the Kremlin has repeatedly accused Ukraine of failing to adhere to the Minsk agreements, holding back the implementation of their provisions, and outright violating them.
One of the most recent examples of the latter was Kiev's decision to introduce a bill in parliament that would deny fighters of the self-proclaimed people’s republics in the country's east amnesty once the conflict is over. The Minsk agreements state clearly that such an amnesty must be provided for all people living in the rebellious areas once peace is achieved.
The Minsk accords stipulate the creation of a special status for the Donbass region via constitutional amendments that would introduce a decentralised model of government in Ukraine. The accord never mentioned any steps that either Russia or the self-proclaimed republics had to take first for Kiev to carry out the said constitutional reform (which it has not implemented so far).
Kiev was also supposed to start negotiations with the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics on carrying out legitimate elections on their territory under Ukrainian law. However, the Ukrainian government has systematically delayed holding these talks, something that Moscow has repeatedly pointed out.
Western nations backing the regime in Kiev, which came to power after a 2014 coup, have also contributed to Ukraine's numerous violations of the Minsk accords. According to the agreement, Kiev had to expel all foreign military forces as well as military equipment. Instead of this, the Ukrainian government continued to request new "defensive" armaments from NATO countries, and the latter continued to provide them – such as Javelin missile launchers capable of destroying enemy armed vehicles. Western countries also routinely send military instructors to Ukraine, as well as mercenaries, according to Russian Defence Ministry's information.