The so-called Normandy format, in which representatives of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia meet at irregular intervals, is responsible for monitoring the agreements. The representatives of the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk are not part of the format. The first major violation of the second Minsk agreement came just days after it was signed, when the pro-Russian separatists announced that they would take the strategically important city of Debaltseve.
Since then, according to OSCE information, the agreement has been broken almost daily. The goal remains a sustainable ceasefire. According to the Federal Foreign Office, “substantial progress” will continue to be hampered “by positions that are still far apart”.
Sources: Federal Agency for Civic Education, Foreign Office, AFP
