The UN declined to comment on Merkel and Hollande’s confessions.

The official representative of the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, did not comment on the statements of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and ex-President of France Francois Hollande that the Minsk agreements gave Kyiv time to strengthen the army.

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At the briefing, journalists asked how the words of Merkel and Hollande reflect the position of the UN Secretary General on the Minsk agreements. Dujarric called this question legitimate, but did not answer it.

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“But I would leave the historical analysis to reporters, former officials and historians,” he said.

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The UN is focused on today and trying to end the conflict, the spokesman for the Secretary General added.

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In early December, Merkel acknowledged that the Minsk agreements were an attempt to give Kyiv time to strengthen itself. Following her, Hollande also confirmed this: according to him, then the geopolitical situation was not in favor of Ukraine, and the West needed a respite. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Merkel’s statement unexpected and disappointing – according to him, he himself has always proceeded from the fact that the German authorities behave sincerely with Russia.