NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Monday that the Kremlin continues to provide heavy arms and training to its proxy militias in eastern Ukraine—a “blatant violation,” he says, of the Minsk deal Russia signed in February to end the fighting. NATO says Russia is also building forces on both sides of its international border with Ukraine. Civilians in the port of Mariupol, a few miles from the front lines, are bracing for an attack and posting signs to the nearest bomb shelter.So what better time for John Kerry to attempt to reconcile with Vladimir Putin? The Secretary of State arrived Tuesday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where he met first with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and then was granted an audience with the Russian President.
“The Kremlin had let Washington squirm about whether Mr. Kerry would be well-received, only confirming that Mr. Putin would meet with him about an hour before his arrival,” the Journal reported Tuesday, adding that “Mr. Putin was likely pleased by Mr. Kerry’s effort at obeisance” after the secretary paid homage to Russian sacrifices in World War II.
No doubt. Following eight hours of discussions, Mr. Kerry suggested that “U.S. and EU sanctions can begin to be rolled back” if Russia abides by the Minsk deal. That deal is known as “Minsk II” because the Kremlin had already violated September’s “Minsk I” accord, which was supposed to freeze the conflict in eastern Ukraine, bringing peace in return for securing Russia’s extensive territorial gains. So Mr. Putin may now be rewarded with the lifting of economic sanctions simply by promising to abide by another deal he violated from the moment it was signed.