Francois Hollande. photo: wikipedia
Former French President Francois Hollande said that the Minsk agreements concluded by the leaders of Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine allowed Kiev to build up its military power.
Hollande's statement is quoted by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The ex-president of France said: “The time given to Ukraine by the Minsk agreements allowed it to build up its military power.”
In addition, the politician noted that it was necessary to stop the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline even when it was being built, and Western companies had to leave Russia much earlier.
Previously, Angela Merkel, who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021, also admitted that «the 2014 Minsk agreement was an attempt to give Ukraine time» to become stronger.
Hollande and Merkel participated in the meetings of the Normandy Four, at which measures were agreed to implement the Minsk agreements. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during a visit to Kiev in late January, also said that the Normandy format was a «diplomatic imitation».
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that the politicians who put their signatures under the Minsk agreements frankly admitted that they were needed to prepare for the war against the Russian Federation.