Russia published a decree on Monday to send troops to the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of eastern Ukraine, shortly after President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of recognition of the independence of the two self-proclaimed republics by pro-Russian separatists in 2014. in the Donbass region.
The Kremlin decree calls for “peacekeeping” forces, but it is unclear how many troops would be deployed, what activities they would perform and when they would be deployed to Ukraine.
However, a senior US government official told CNN that Russian troops are expected to move on Monday night or Tuesday morning to Donbass.
The West’s fear was that a request for military aid by Donetsk and Lugansk was the pretext Putin was looking for to invade Ukraine. Moscow has a history of military interventions to help political allies, such as sending “peacekeeping forces” to Kazakhstan in January to quell protests that the local government called a “terrorist threat”.
In a speech announcing that Russia recognizes the breakaway republics in Donbass, Putin described that “modern Ukraine” was artificially created by the communists in the days of the Soviet Union, and that Western-sponsored governments were repressing Russian identity in Donetsk and Lugansk. .
Shortly after Putin announced recognition of the two breakaway republics, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki released a statement that the US government will issue an executive order to ban new investment, trade and financing by US people in “so-called regions”. of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk” and to provide authority “to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in these areas of Ukraine”.
Washington will also soon take additional measures related to “today’s flagrant violation of international commitments by Russia”.
“To be clear: these measures are separate and would be in addition to the rapid and severe economic measures that we are preparing in coordination with allies and partners in case Russia invades Ukraine further,” Psaki said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a news conference that the Russian recognition was “a bad omen and a very grim sign” and “another indication that things are going in the wrong direction in Ukraine”.
“It is clearly a violation of international law, it is a blatant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and integrity. It is a repudiation of the process [de paz] of Minsk and the Minsk Accords”, argued the prime minister.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the same argument on Twitter. “The recognition of the two breakaway territories in Ukraine is a flagrant violation of international law, the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the Minsk Accords. The European Union (EU) and its partners will react with unity, firmness and determination in solidarity with Ukraine,” she said.
Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, added that he would put a “sanctions package on the table of European ministers”.
The Minsk Accords, mentioned by Johnson and Leyen, aim to resolve the conflict between Kiev and separatists in eastern Ukraine (in which more than 14,000 people have been killed since 2014) and recognize the territories now controlled by separatists as part of Ukraine.
Putin’s announcement of recognition of the independence of the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk was the turning point in yet another day of escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier, Russia claimed to have killed five members of an alleged Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group that had entered Russian territory and that a projectile fired from Ukraine had completely destroyed a border outpost in the Rostov region. Kiev refuted both information.
In addition, the United States reported to the United Nations that Russia had drawn up a list of Ukrainian citizens who could be killed or detained in the event of a Russian invasion.
In a statement, Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, recalled that in 2015 the United Nations Security Council, which includes Russia, “reaffirmed its full respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. of Ukraine” and that “Donetsk and Lugansk are part of Ukraine”.
“Moscow continues to fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine by providing financial and military support to separatists. It is also trying to stage a pretext to invade Ukraine once again,” accused Stoltenberg, before the news about the deployment of Russian troops to Donbass.
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