After Ukraine`s shameful withdrawal from The Donbass after the encirclement of Ilovaisk six months after the crisis, negotiators from the trilateral contact group signed a ceasefire agreement in Minsk in September 2014. The OSCE chose the capital of Belarus because it is easily accessible to all parties, at least superficially regarded as a neutral broker, and has been negotiating a new frozen conflict since 1992, rooted in the concepts of ethnic autonomy of the national minorities of the Bolshevik era: Nagorno-Karabakh. The ceasefire in Ukraine quickly collapsed when, with Russia`s help, the separatists suffered two strategic defeats at Donetsk airport and the Debaltseve railway node. Immediately after the signing of Minsk II on 12 February 2015, the International Monetary Fund approved a $40 billion bailout package for Ukraine to stabilize its economy in exchange for promises of economic reforms and anti-corruption. [28] At the same time, all the heads of state of the key stakeholders involved, including Russia and the United States, called for restraint. [29] In the three days leading up to the ceasefire on 15 February, the rebels intensified their fighting for other areas. [30] Calls for restraint were also underestimated by the Heads of State, who also expressed skepticism about the peace agreement. [31] In addition, the negotiators indicated that Putin wanted to postpone the ceasefire by ten days, implying that Ukrainian forces, surrounded in the central railway node of Debaltsevé, would be forced to surrender. [32] In addition, Ukrainian President Poroshenko poured cold water on the agreement, indicating that “no one firmly believes that the conditions of peace signed in Minsk will be strictly enforced”. [33] A second agreement in Minsk on 12 February led to a ceasefire, which for the time being is mainly due, and to measures to de-escalate the conflict. Many officials on the ground and in Kiev, Moscow and the West nevertheless believe that the war in eastern Ukraine could resume in a few weeks. If the need exists, much will depend on the quality of the best commanders on both sides. The Ukrainian army is involved in a command crisis that the country`s leaders do not seem to want to admit or address.