Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged in a televised statement on Monday the independence of pro-Russian breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, a decision denounced by the West that aggravates the crisis between both countries.
(Further: US intelligence fears Russia is ready to attack Ukraine)
Furthermore, Putin signed “friendship and mutual aid agreements” with pro-Russian breakaway regions and claimed Ukraine an immediate cessation of “military operations”.
(Read here: What does it mean that Russia recognizes the separatists in eastern Ukraine?)
“As for those who have seized power in Kiev and hold it, we demand that you immediately stop military operations, otherwise, all responsibility for further bloodshed will fall on the conscience of the regime on Ukrainian territory”, he said at the end of a long televised speech.
The decision of the Russian head of state responds to the request that a little earlier this Monday had been made by the leaders of these two mining and industrial territories in conflict with Kiev: the Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, and Leonid Pasechnik, from the Lugansk People’s Republic.
According to the Russian presidency, Putin informed his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and the German head of government, Olaf Scholz, mediators in the conflict, of his decision, who, according to the Kremlin, “expressed their disappointment” .
In eight years, the war between Kiev and the separatists, supported by Moscow, has left more than 14,000 dead. A Russian recognition of the separatists would put an end to the peace process resulting from the 2015 Minsk agreements, signed by Russia and Ukraine under Franco-German mediation, which precisely sought to return these areas to Ukrainian sovereignty.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine rose again this Monday after the exchange of accusations between Moscow and Kiev. The Kremlin denounced the Ukrainian army for having fired on a Russian border post, something the Ukrainians rejected.
After this, Putin said that his country faces a “serious and very big” threat in Ukraine. In this sense, and in the face of fears of war, European diplomacy is mobilized to try to achieve a summit between Putin and Biden. However, the Kremlin cooled down that possibility on Monday.
Meanwhile, the United States assured this Sunday that Russia had launched its “manual” to invade Ukraine, and warned that this aggression could be imminent because, according to US intelligence, the Kremlin has already given the order to attack.
A group of the Ukrainian National Guard carried out military exercises and maneuvers this weekend.
Photo:
EFE/EPA/OLEG PETRASYUK
In addition, US intelligence suggests that any Russian invasion of Ukraine would employ a particularly brutal strategy to “crush” the civilian population.<br
Despite international rejection of his decision to recognize the independence of the separatist regions, Putin ordered his army to enter these territories to “keep the peace”, defying threats of sanctions from the West in a move that could unleash a war with Kiev.
Given the situation, the UN Security Council announced a meeting tonight, something very unusual not only because of the night hours but because of the rush to your summons. Ukraine was the first to request that they meet urgently, and then the United States and its allies joined the request.
Minute by minute
Russia calls itself “open to diplomacy” on the Ukraine question
The UN regrets “the order to deploy troops in eastern Ukraine”
“The next few hours and (next) days will be critical. The risk of a major conflict is real and must be avoided at all costs,” she claimed at the start of an emergency meeting of the Security Council of the UN.
UN Security Council holds an emergency meeting this Monday night.
UN Security Council meets in urgency tonight
Ukraine was the first to request the urgent meeting of the Security Council, a request that was later joined by France, which has a permanent seat on the Council and has so far shown a solid alliance with the United States in handling this crisis.
Zelensky accuses Russia of violating territorial integrity from Ukraine
“All responsibility for the consequences of this decision falls on the leaders of Russia,” Zelenski said during a televised speech.EFE