https://cepa.org/article/dont-let-russia-fool-you-about-the-minsk-agreements/
Is it possible that VDH does not know this?
“the Minsk Agreements are essential to the current diplomatic process surrounding Ukraine for two reasons: First, they are the most recent formal, written document to which Russia has subscribed, which affirms Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”
WIKI
“VII. In order to reestablish peace on solid and durable foundations, and to remove for ever all subject of dispute with regard to the limits of the British and French territories on the continent of America; it is agreed, that, for the future, the confines between the dominions of his Britannick Majesty and those of his Most Christian Majesty, in that part of the world, shall be fixed irrevocably by a line drawn along the middle of the River Mississippi, from its source to the river Iberville, and from thence, by a line drawn along the middle of this river, and the lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain to the sea; and for this purpose, the Most Christian King cedes in full right, and guaranties to his Britannick Majesty the river and port of the Mobile, and every thing which he possesses, or ought to possess, on the left side of the river Mississippi, except the town of New Orleans and the island in which it is situated, which shall remain to France, provided that the navigation of the river Mississippi shall be equally free, as well to the subjects of Great Britain as to those of France, in its whole breadth and length, from its source to the sea, and expressly that part which is between the said island of New Orleans and the right bank of that river, as well as the passage both in and out of its mouth: It is farther stipulated, that the vessels belonging to the subjects of either nation shall not be stopped, visited, or subjected to the payment of any duty whatsoever. The stipulations inserted in the IVth article, in favour of the inhabitants of Canada shall also take place with regard to the inhabitants of the countries ceded by this article.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1763)
“Being defeated by the British in the French and Indian War more than a decade earlier, France found an opportunity to undercut British power and ultimately of revenge by aiding the colonists throughout the Revolutionary War. Prior to the Battle of Saratoga, France did not fully aid the colonists. However, after the Battles of Saratoga were conclusively won by the colonists, France realized that the Americans had the hope of winning the war, and began fully aiding the colonists by sending soldiers, donations, loans, military arms, and supplies.”
Reader comments (unverified):
“the baby United States of America is well on its way to being born.”
“The French bankrolled everything from 1777 to 1783, spending more in six years than the entire American federal tax base for the next 30 years, which succinctly sums up why the French were necessary for the Revolution to succeed.”
“Post-Saratoga anti-war members of Parliament were proclaiming the war to be over and there was serious despair inside the government after Burgoyne’s army’s surrender there. So Britain decided to test the waters right after Saratoga and send a Peace Commission, known as the Carlisle commission, to negotiate a possible peace with the American rebel Congress, which was still alive and functioning in York, Pennsylvania after the fall of Philadelphia.”
“French Foreign Minister Vergennes, the driving force of the war party, was watching Parliamentary debate in London on a constant basis, fearing that reconciliation efforts by the government with the Americans might become serious and successful. We know now that the Peace Commission’s authority did not extend to granting full independence, but just an autonomous federation of sorts, and that the Americans’ “redline” was independence. That made any negotiation unlikely to achieve success.”