Ukraine - Russia: negotiating process in state of war. History Lessons

Three months ago held the longest talks of presidential level in recent history. To the last there were doubts whether the alleged meeting of “Norman Quartet” will be held in Minsk and in what format. On February 11, 2015 at the Palace of Independence the capital of Belarus it started and was extremely tense, almost on the verge of collapse. Once the participants gathered in the great hall between Putin and P. Poroshenko a verbal skirmish occurred. The Presidents tough discussed position for each future agreement, not inferior to each other even about commas in the document. Finally in the morning of February 12 after a grueling seventeen hours Merkel, Hollande F., P. Poroshenko and V. Putin signed a declaration and set of measures of implementation of “Minsk” agreements on the settlement of Donetsk crisis.

Viktor HUSEV