February 13, 2015 | Quote

After Marathon Talks, European Leaders Broker Ukraine Peace Deal


Mr. Putin in agreeing to the deal put on the back-burner any talk of sending such U.S. offensive military equipment as armor piercing weapons to Kiev — a subject of intense debate in the White House recently.

“This agreement has probably put on hold any kind of new sanctions or other action against Russia from Washington,” said Boris Zilberman, who is following the situation closely at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “That might be Putin's goal — that he can solidify his gains in eastern Ukraine while blunting our options.”

While uncertainty remains, the collective powers of the Western world appeared to throw their weight behind the deal. Within hours of its announcement, the International Monetary Fund agreed to give Ukraine's struggling government a new bailout package worth $17.5 billion. The World Bank said it was ready to commit up to $2 billion.

With Ukraine's government finances in shambles, the money was likely a “sweetener for everybody involved in the conflict to play nice and sign the peace agreement,” said Mr. Zilberman.

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Issues:

Russia