She said it was clear to all parties involved that the conflict was frozen and the problem had not been solved, but this is what gave Ukraine time to fortify itself.

Merkel expressed doubts that at that time the member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) could provide support to Kiev to the extent they do now.

The German politician was serving as head of government when a coup took place in Ukraine in 2014, and then with her participation the Minsk agreements were signed to resolve the Donbass conflict.

During the signing of the pact in the city of Minsk, Belarus, the Ukrainian authorities committed to reform their Constitution to grant extended autonomy to Lugansk and Donetsk, as well as the holding of local elections in both regions.

Last February 24, the Russian Federation launched a special military operation in Ukraine to defend the self-proclaimed Donbass republics, previously recognized by Moscow as sovereign states, against genocide by Kiev.

One of the fundamental objectives of this operation, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.

According to the president, the Minsk agreements were killed by the current Kiev authorities long before the recognition of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics.

ef/abo/mgt/amp