Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine was severely criticized by the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, which announced on Tuesday (22) sanctions against Moscow.
However, some governments are announcing support for Putin in recognizing the two self-proclaimed republics by pro-Russian separatists in 2014 in the Donbass region.
Syria, whose dictator Bashar al-Assad has had strong Russian help in the civil war against rebels, has said it supports Putin but has not formally recognized the two territories. “Syria supports President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize the republics of Lugansk and Donetsk,” Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said at an event in Moscow.
“What the West is doing against Russia is similar to what it did against Syria during the terrorist war,” he added.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two other breakaway republics (located in Georgia) that are recognized by Lugansk, Donetsk, Russia and very few other countries, also praised Putin’s move, but with different views on recognition.
South Ossetia has recognized the two Donbass republics since 2014. “Recognition of Donbass means hope for a better future for tens of millions of people,” said the local leader, Anatoliy Bibilov, in a statement published by the website Eurasianet. “The same recognition from Russia preserved the peace and territory of South Ossetia for 13 years.”
In Abkhazia, where recognition for Lugansk and Donetsk has so far not been reciprocated, leader Aslan Bzhania issued a statement praising Putin’s decision.
“We are confident that this decision will allow for the strengthening of the security architecture in the region,” said Bzhania in the document. “Furthermore, we believe that Russia’s decision to recognize the Donbass republics will facilitate the formation of a more just and balanced world order, where the rights of small states are reliably protected and the international community hears and respects their voices.”
Belarus, whose dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, was supported by Putin in cracking down on a wave of protests in 2020, has been in the line of endorsing the ally but not recognizing the two republics.
“In such a situation, we perceive with respect and understanding the decision of the Russian side to recognize the independence of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The Republic of Belarus has always actively and consistently advocated a peaceful solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. We still consider diplomatic methods a priority and we are ready to contribute to this process in any way possible,” the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Maduro speaks of “colonialism” by NATO and the United States
In Latin America, Nicaragua and Venezuela took a similar stance: they supported Putin’s attitude, but without going into the issue of recognizing Lugansk and Donetsk.
“President Putin took a step today [segunda-feira]where what it did was recognize some republics that, since the 2014 coup, did not recognize the coup governments [na Ucrânia] and established their government and fought,” declared Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega.
“In the end, Russia took this step and it is a step that hopefully creates the conditions for an understanding there, because what Russia asks for is security and that security can be achieved on the basis of agreements that already existed and that had been breached. by the Europeans and the United States”, he added.
Last year, Putin was one of the few state leaders who recognized Ortega’s victory in a presidential election marred by the arrest of opponents and the absence of observers.
In Venezuela, the number 2 of the Chavista dictatorship, Diosdado Cabello, claimed that “Russia has every right to defend its position and territory”.
“Russia does maneuvers with Belarus and it gives them tachycardia [nos Estados Unidos e aliados], because they are used to doing what they want in the world. When countries like Korea [do Norte]among others, face them,
[eles] resort to these things, Ukraine is attacking the populations and [elas] flee to Russia, but the bad guy is Russia. The United States acts like that,” Cabello said in an interview with Unión Radio.
Dictator Nicolás Maduro pointed out that “Venezuela expresses its full support for the defense of Russia” and attacked what he called “ancient complexes of voracious colonialism represented by NATO and the neocolonialism of the American empire”.
In January, given the West’s refusal to veto Ukraine’s NATO membership, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov suggested that Russia could bring missiles or military infrastructure to Venezuela and Cuba.
On Tuesday, the ministry released a statement in which it called on other countries to “follow the Russian example” and recognize the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk.
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