Deutsche Welle quotes Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center Director John Herbst on the agreement in Minsk and what it means for Ukraine:
After the failure of the first Minsk agreement, there is skepticism across the board in Washington that this time will be any different. Many are also voicing doubts about the substance of the new deal. Former US Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst told DW: “It’s certainly not a very good agreement for Ukraine.” Herbst highlights what he sees as a key shortcoming with the deal: that Ukraine will not gain control of its border with Russia until the end of 2015, preventing it from halting the alleged inflows of Russian personnel and weapons.
Herbst lays the blame for this partly at the door of France and Germany. “My understanding – I can’t say this for certain – is that the Western allies were willing to consider an even longer period of time. Which would suggest that they weren’t as supportive of Ukraine – the victim in this – as perhaps they could have been.”