Part 2: Given Russia’s Record, Why Trust Its Next Promise?

Faith, Power, and the War in Ukraine · Part 2

In Part 1: Standing With Ukraine, I wrote about the people I have come to know in Ukraine and the suffering they have endured because of Russia. In this post, we will examine the record: the commitments, agreements and treaties that Russia negotiated, signed and accepted compared to its subsequent actions.

When leaders discuss another agreement with Moscow, we need to ask what happened to the agreements already made. Russia repeatedly committed itself to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom, and promised to not use military force against Ukraine. Its subsequent conduct violated all of those commitments.

Below are five examples of commitments Russia accepted and subsequently violated. The additional attached tables show a much broader record of violations across agreements protecting sovereignty, borders, human rights, religious freedom, language, and culture.

Commitments Russia Made

1. The United Nations Charter

As a UN member, Russia is bound to settle international disputes peacefully and refrain from force against another country’s territory or political independence. On 24 February 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On 2 March, the UN General Assembly voted 141-5, with 35 abstentions, for a resolution deploring in the strongest terms Russia’s aggression as violating Article 2(4) of the Charter. Russia attacked the country whose sovereignty the Charter required it to respect. [1, 2, 11]

2. The Helsinki commitments

The 1975 Helsinki Final Act set out principles protecting sovereignty, borders, territorial integrity, and peaceful relations among all nations. The Soviet Union signed it; Russia subsequently participated in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), whose participating states uphold these commitments. Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 and full-scale invasion in 2022 contradicted those principles. Borders were to be respected; Russia used military force to seize Ukrainian territory. [2, 3, 8]

3. The Budapest Memorandum

On 5 December 1994, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom gave Ukraine security assurances. These assurances were tied to Ukraine’s agreement to give up its nuclear weapons and join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a state without nuclear weapons. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine was left with the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal. Russia reaffirmed its commitment to respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and existing borders. It also reaffirmed its obligation not to threaten or use force against Ukraine. Russia then seized Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. The country that had promised to respect Ukraine’s borders became the country attacking them. [2, 4]

4. The Russia–Ukraine Friendship Treaty

Russia signed this treaty with Ukraine in 1997. Article 2 committed both countries to respect each other’s territorial integrity and the inviolability of their common borders. Articles 3 and 4 also required peaceful relations and settlement of disputes. The treaty was in force when Russia seized Crimea in 2014. That seizure broke its central promises concerning borders and peaceful relations. Ukraine gave notice of non-renewal in 2018; the treaty ended on 1 April 2019. [5, 10, 13]

5. The Minsk agreements

The 2014–2015 Minsk process sought a ceasefire and a political settlement in eastern Ukraine. Russia’s ambassador signed the Minsk texts, and Putin supported Minsk II in a joint leaders’ declaration. Russia submitted the draft that became unanimously adopted UN Security Council Resolution 2202, endorsing Minsk II, on 17 February 2015. The framework kept separatist-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk within Ukraine, with special local arrangements under Ukrainian law. Despite this agreement, on 21 February 2022 Russia recognized the two separatist entities as independent states, rejecting that central premise. The OSCE identified the contradiction. The next day, Putin described Minsk as already dead and blamed Kyiv. Three days after recognition, Russia launched its full-scale invasion. [6-9, 12, 14]

The Pattern Across the Agreements

Across these different commitments, the pattern is clear: Russia agreed to principles protecting Ukraine’s independence and territory, then acted in direct contradiction to them. The consequences have fallen on the people whose lives those commitments should have helped protect. Russia’s record shows a repeated willingness to disregard commitments when they conflict with its objectives.

This record gives Ukraine, and every country negotiating with Russia, compelling reasons to distrust any promise. A serious discussion of peace must confront that record and the consequences of allowing aggression to succeed.

Again, given Russia’s record, why should Ukraine, or any country, trust its next promise?

What This Series Will Examine

In my following posts in this series, I will be examining how Russia rebuilt its power, how other countries became vulnerable to its pressure, and how Russian political and religious leaders have worked together to justify its actions. I ask you to examine the evidence and Russia’s conduct with me.

The evidence speaks for itself. Will you take the time to understand what is really happening in Ukraine, and why it matters?

Please take action

Please contact your United States senators and your representative in Congress.

Tell them plainly:

“I support Ukraine. I oppose Russian aggression. I want the United States to stand firmly with Ukraine and help it defend its people, freedom, and sovereignty. Russia should not be rewarded for taking another country’s territory by force.”

Do not assume someone else will speak. A phone call or an email takes only a few minutes.

You can call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your senators or representative.

Find and contact your U.S. representative:

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Find and contact your U.S. senators:

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Find and contact elected officials | USAGov

Use USAGov’s Contact Your Elected Officials tool to get contact information for your members of Congress, the president, and state and local officials.

https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Evil triumphs when good people see what is happening and choose to do nothing.

Please do something.

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← Previous: Part 1: Standing With Ukraine · Next: Part 3: Do You Have Eyes to See? →

View all articles in this series

Sources

1. United Nations Charter

Articles 2(2), 2(3), 2(4). Certified multilingual text; English Article 2 on PDF page 5, printed page 3.