Carnegie Moscow Center
The West should be linking aid to Ukraine to peace rather than war.
The Minsk agreements lay the political groundwork for peace in Ukraine. Still, several important questions remain. Moreover, the agreements are likely to be too little too late for the warring parties: they may not settle for anything less than what they consider victory.
Many in Russia believe that the EU sanctions appeared as a result of the Ukrainian conflict and pressure from Washington. In fact, the reasons for the current deterioration in Russia’s relations with Europe are far more profound. But this does not mean that another—European—front in Russia’s confrontation with the West has now been opened.
In 1991, Ukrainians had high hopes for a democratic and prosperous future. However, two decades on, the direction their country will take is still far from clear.