Negotiations in Minsk. What remained off-screen 

Two days have passed since the longest presidential negotiations in the newest world history were over. I will try to sum up the expert analysis of the Minsk arrangements (provided they are carried out).

Advantage for Ukraine:

– ceasefire meaning probable end to killing Ukrainian citizens.

Advantages for Russia:

– probable slackening and elimination of sanctions;

– it has not been recognized as a party to the conflict;

– it has not assumed any obligations;

– the world community "has forgotten" about the Crimea.

Disadvantages for Ukraine:

– it shall maintain Ukrainian territories controlled by Russia and, consequently, fighters in these territories;

– terrorists shall be forgiven and amnestied;

– fighters and their activity shall be legalized as a local authority and cooperated with;

– it shall consult Russia on all trade issues of the European integration of Ukraine.

Disadvantages for Russia:

– it did not manage to seize Ukraine through a military blitzkrieg.

Lavrov: It would be interesting to watch a live broadcast from Debaltsevo now and see whose it is

When I was reading the published complete texts of the Minsk documents already in Kiev, I had a deja vu feeling as if they were dubbed in a familiar voice in my head… Certainly!

Minsk, Palace of Independence, 3 a.m. on February 12. In the room for diplomatic delegations, Sergey Lavrov is sitting in a leather sofa in a haughty manner, smoking a sixth cigarette in a day. Sergey Brilev is leaning over him in a respectful pose, he is presenter of the Saturday News program and Deputy Director of the Russia TV channel, a junior colleague of Dmitry Kisilev who presents the closing Sunday news. Unintentionally, I became witness to a curious private talk.

The journalist was asking the minister how the negotiations were going and what the aims were. Lavrov said that Russia was there of its own will, because it supports peace in the world. The main thing was to make Poroshenko negotiate directly with "citizen soldiers" because if the Norman four drafted an unfavourable document, they might not accept it, and the negotiations would be a failure then. And the requirements of the "citizen soldiers" are "logical and simple". And the Foreign Minister started enumerating almost verbatim the points that later appeared as a result of the Minsk meeting.

All of a sudden, the statesman got off the point and said thoughtfully, "It would be interesting to watch a live broadcast from Debaltsevo and see whose it is…"

I also remembered a colonel in marine uniform with a nuclear case. The military man kept close to Putin, and when the Russian leader went to negotiations, he was deliberately walking to and fro across the banquet hall. I understand that, according to the rules, a person like this must accompany the leader of a nuclear state in all trips, but, for comparison, France also has nuclear weapons, but Hollande did not consider it appropriate to demonstrate the nuclear case during peace talks.

One of Ukrainian presidents once arranged a casual meeting with Kaczynski for Lukashenko…

It was not clear until the very endwhether the talks will be held in Minsk on Wednesday and what the format will be. But Alexander Lukashenko,who promised Vladimir Putinon Sunday in front of camerasthat everything will be organized at the highest level, kept his word.

The fact that the event will be held at the Palace of Independence was announced to the press only a few hours before the start"for security reasons". The Palace of Independence is a building with an area of five thousand meters in the centre of Minskconstructed a couple of years ago; it is where the Belarusian president works now. The local media reported that the budget amounted to several hundred million dollars. Judging by the best sorts of marble on the floor and walls on all storeys and by the amount of gilding, the journalists were not wrongin their calculations. However, for example, unlike "Mezhyhirya" (similar level), all construction and finishing work are high-qualityin Minsk, they are designed in the same style, there are no Chinese counterfeits in the interior, it means that nothing was stolen during construction and everything was made to last. Besides, the Belarusian Palace has been designed to maintain the image; I think that European diplomats will remember Lukashenko’s luxurious mansions for long.