Part 2/7:
The situation bears unsettling similarities to 2014, when Russia's annexation of Crimea forced a beleaguered Ukraine to sign the Minsk Protocol. This ceasefire, brokered by France and Germany, was rendered impotent due to lack of enforcement or substantial security guarantees. The absence of effective deterrence assured that Russian President Vladimir Putin could resume his ambitions for territorial expansion without significant consequences. Although fighting subsided temporarily, it never truly ceased, culminating in the current escalated conflict.