Joerg Forbrig: It's strange that issue on border control is delayed

Separatists receive weapons and new militants through the open Russian-Ukrainian border.

The talks in Minsk where Ukrainian, German and French presidents discussed with Vladimir Putin how to resolve the Donbas conflict ended today. Joerg Forbrig, the director of the Fund for Belarus Democracy at the German Marshall Fund, talked about the situation to Radio Svaboda.

“No surprise that most points of the new agreement resemble those of the Minsk agreement signed last September. It is natural, because the main disputable issues remain the same: two separatist organisations that demand many rights; the ongoing military conflict; debates on the front line, which has changed in comparison to last year. The question on the Russian-Ukrainian border, which the Ukrainian foreign minister called the key topic ahead of the talks, remains open. This is the issue about which the Russian side said it would not agree with Ukraine's demands. In this sense, the document contains little new,” he says.

The politologist said he didn't believe the agreement would resolve the conflict.

“The only new point is that the order changed. It is rather strange to see in the new agreement that the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian border is among the last to be solved. According to the agreement, the issue will be settled only at the end of the year. It is strange, because the open border is the gates through which separatists receive equipment, military forces, humanitarian aid from Russia and so on.

We also need to look at details of the deal carefully, but my first reaction was that it does not differ much from the previous one. Everything will depend on how the agreement will be implemented. They failed to implement the previous deal with the similar points, so I am sceptical that the current agreement can resolve the conflict,” he added.