# In defence of Russia **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 6, 2022, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defence-of-russia/969166 "2022-08-06T00:49:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 2
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defence-of-russia/969166/2 "2022-08-06T01:55:52Z")
> [@Russia invades Ukraine {2022-02-24} (Part 1)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24-part-1/960037/6853): > > I personally think Russia could have been a bit more patient regarding negotiating about NATO membership and even pressing more diplomatically over actually enforcing the Minsk agreement. 1. Russia has zero right to say who does and does not join NATO 2. The “Minsk agreement” was only ever worth the paper it was written on. In case that’s not clear, it was a verbal agreement - no paper, no actual agreement. 3. The Russian government is certainly allowed an opinion about what other nations do, but that does not extend to imposing their opinion on other, sovereign nations I am failing to try and quote over to here, so I copy pasted. This completely wrong one. You do not sign a verbal agreement. As it was signed, on paper. > **[Minsk agreements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minsk_agreements)** > > The Minsk agreements were a series of international agreements which sought to end the Donbas war fought between armed Russian separatist groups and Armed Forces of Ukraine, with Russian regular forces playing a central part. The first, known as the Minsk Protocol, was drafted in 2014 by the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine, consisting of Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), with mediation by the leaders of France and Germany in the The agr... --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defence-of-russia/969166)._