Thread by @aaronjmate

This is @mattduss' public cry for help. He's had a rough patch: first claiming to support the Ukraine letter, then claiming he was against it when his neocon allies got mad; then, when Biden engaged in diplomacy, somehow claiming that the progressives had "complicated" it.

https://twitter.com/mattduss/status/1589755829799903232

Will someone help this confused Blob member figure out where he stands on a very polite request for diplomacy with Russia?

To find solace in this confusing time for a progressive proxy warrior, Duss turns to the latest bottomless thread-rant from @neil_abrams, who attempts to rebut me on the Minsk accords. (

https://twitter.com/neil_abrams/status/1589725333536002050

)

A few points:

@neil_abrams Thank you Neil, for conceding that you actually fault Ukraine, at least partly, for Minsk accords' failure. (

https://twitter.com/neil_abrams/status/1589731505500479488

).

Thanks also for conceding that Ukraine failed to implement two key provisions, and also partly fault them on two more. (

https://twitter.com/neil_abrams/status/1589733300955799552

)

Neil claims that the rebels in Donbas are just Russian puppets & takes issue with my claim that Russia has only provided "limited support." On this I defer to RAND experts. I also note that, while the rebels tried to join Russia since 2014, Russia insisted on Minsk accords.

After blaming Russia for not giving Ukraine control of its border, Neil concedes my point that this, under Minsk, could only happen after elections. (

https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1588531141434564608

)

He blames Russia for this. But as I noted, Ukraine made it policy to retake Donbas before elections.

Neil invokes Russia's 1994 pledge to respect Ukraine's borders & sovereignty. (

https://twitter.com/neil_abrams/status/1589734994255441920

)

But US signed too. And US violated Ukraine's sovereignty when it backed the 2014 coup and then used the ensuing civil war as "our fight."

So Neil admits that Ukraine failed to implement multiple Minsk provisions, and has no rebuttal to fact that its explicit policy of reconquest was incompatible with it (as Ukrainian officials admitted), yet somehow takes offense at my argument that Ukraine is primarily at fault.

He does have one point: I got it wrong that Russia didn't sign Minsk. I mixed up being a signatory with not having any explicit obligations. I thought it was just between rebels-Ukraine but in fact Russia & others signed too. My mistake.

Under Minsk, after a withdrawal by both sides, there was supposed to be talks on holding local elections & autonomy in Donbas. But Kiev, as Atlantic Council noted in 2020, "refused to deal directly with separatist officials." That pretty much continued until Russia's invasion.