I don’t know where the “peace activist” who urged negotiations with Vladimir Putin in the March 14 Gazette got her facts about the Minsk accords [“Negotiate, don’t escalate,” letter]. She claims Ukraine broke the agreement, so the war is Ukraine’s fault.

Certainly that is Putin’s claim. And Putin is a man we can trust! For example, his government claims a Moscow ballet dancer who criticized the war lost his balance on a roof and fell off.

The carefully, authoritatively annotated Wikipedia article on the Minsk agreements makes it clear that Russia broke the agreement and invaded Ukraine. First, “at the end of August 2014, Russia forced Ukraine to sign the first Minsk Protocol, or the Minsk I.”

Then, “At the start of January 2015, Russia sent another large batch of its regular military … Following the Russian victory at Donetsk International Airport in defiance of the Protocol, Russia repeated its pattern of August 2014, invaded with fresh forces and attacked Ukrainian forces at Debaltseve, where Ukraine suffered a major defeat, and was forced to sign a Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, or Minsk II.”

Finally, “on 22 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the Minsk agreements “no longer existed,” and that Ukraine, not Russia, was to blame for their collapse. Russia then launched a full invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.” If you’re interested in truth, read the article and check out at the footnotes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minsk_agreements. Or search for Minsk Agreements.

David Ball

Northampton