Russia tried to come to a agreement with Ukraine, the Minsk agreement was ratified at the UNSC, Ukraine refused to implement it and the US told them don't worry about it. Watch this clip of Zelensky in 2019 at the Minsk talks, he is sniggering while Putin is talking about implementing the accords, because he had no intention of doing what was required? External Link/Members Only
As I have mentioned before, Russia went in on 24th Feb 2022, because they had evidence of the Ukrainian armed forces were preparing a ground offensive against the two Donbass republics, that if were not stopped could have ended in disaster for the people of the Donbass.
It is correct that the UNSC unanimously endorsed Minsk II via Resolution 2202 in February 2015, which endorsed the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements,” signed in Minsk on 12 February 2015.
But “Russia tried to come to an agreement and Ukraine refused” oversimplifies the dispute. Minsk II included a commitment by Kyiv to organise local elections and grant special status to separatist-held areas, and called for the withdrawal of all foreign armed formations, military equipment, and mercenaries from Ukraine, plus reinstatement of Ukraine’s control over its border.
As for “Ukraine refused to implement it and the US told them don't worry about it.” Implementation stalled on both sides: Ukraine wanted security/border control restored before elections under Ukrainian law, while Russia/the separatists wanted elections and special status granted first, while Ukraine and Western officials argue Russia never withdrew forces or relinquished control of the border. The US position has been that Russia is and always has been the instigator of the conflict and that it methodically obstructed the OSCE’s monitoring mission, the opposite of “the US told Ukraine not to worry about it.”
The claim that Russia invaded because Ukraine was about to launch an imminent offensive against Donetsk/Luhansk that justified a preemptive full-scale invasion of Ukraine is the official Russian government justification, you seem happy to accept that at face value which is why you get labelled the way you do. But it is not corroborated by independent intelligence assessments, and is contested by Western governments, Ukraine, and most independent analysts, who point to Russia’s own buildup of 150,000+ troops along Ukraine’s borders for months prior, and Putin’s prior writings/speeches questioning Ukraine’s right to exist as a separate state.
