Updated: 9.25am (AEDT)
Moscow, Russia
Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent on Monday and ordered the Russian army to launch what Moscow called a peacekeeping operation in the area, upping the ante in a crisis the West fears could unleash a major war.
Putin told Russia’s defence ministry to deploy troops into the two breakaway regions to “keep the peace” in a decree issued shortly after he announced recognition for Russia-backed separatists there, drawing US and European vows of new sanctions.
It was not immediately clear the size of the force that Putin was dispatching, when they would cross the border into Ukraine and exactly what their mission would be.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to sign documents, including a decree recognising two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities, with leaders of the self-proclaimed republics Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin seen in the background, in Moscow, Russia, in this picture released on 21st February. PICTURE: Sputnik/Alexey Nikolsky/Kremlin via Reuters.
In a lengthy televised address, Putin, looking visibly angry, described Ukraine as an integral part of Russia’s history and said eastern Ukraine was ancient Russian lands and that he was confident the Russian people would support his decision..
Russian state television showed Putin, joined by Russia-backed separatist leaders, signing a decree recognising the independence of the two Ukrainian breakaway regions along with agreements on cooperation and friendship.
Defying Western warnings against such a move, Putin had announced his decision in phone calls to the leaders of Germany and France earlier, both of whom voiced disappointment, the Kremlin said.
Moscow’s action may well torpedo a last-minute bid for a summit with US President Joe Biden to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine. The rouble extended its losses as Putin spoke, at one point sliding beyond 80 per dollar.
Biden will issue an executive order soon prohibiting “new investment, trade, and financing by US persons to, from, or in” the two breakaway regions, the White House said. It will “also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine,” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement.
Psaki said more measures would be forthcoming and the ones being prepared in response to Putin’s decree were separate from sanctions the United States and its allies have been readying if Russia invades Ukraine.
The European Union “will react with sanctions against those involved in this illegal act,” President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel said in a joint statement.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg accused Russia of continuing to fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine and “trying to stage a pretext” for a further invasion. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes Russia has violated the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine by recognising two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities on Monday, a UN spokesman said.
“The United Nations, in line with the relevant General Assembly resolutions, remains fully supportive of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Putin’s recognition of breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine is a breach of international law.
“I gather just as I came into this press conference that Vladimir Putin has effectively announced that Russia is recognising the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. This is plainly in breach of international law. It’s a…flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine,” Johnson told a press conference.
“It is a repudiation of the Minsk process and the Minsk agreements, and I think it’s a very ill omen and a very dark sign.”
We rely on our readers to fund Sight's work - become a financial supporter today!
For more information, head to our Subscriber's page.
After Putin had signed the decree, British foreign minister Liz Truss said the move violated the UN Charter and signalled an end to the Minsk process – a set of agreements designed to end a separatist war by Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.
“We will not allow Russia’s violation of its international commitments to go unpunished,” she said in a statement on Twitter.
Johnson said he would talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday and would offer Britain’s support.
When asked whether it was now time to impose sanctions on Russia, Johnson said he would have to wait and see what happened in eastern Ukraine.
“What I have said before about the package of sanctions is that they will be triggered with the first toecap of a Russian incursion or Russian invasion. But plainly what has happened is extremely bad news,” he said.
“It is becoming clear that we’re going to need to start applying as much pressure as we possibly can because it is hard to see how this situation improves.”
In his address, Putin delved into history as far back as the Ottoman empire and as recent as the tensions over NATO’s eastward expansion – a major irritant for Moscow in the present crisis.
With his decision, Putin brushed off Western warnings that such a step would be illegal, would kill off peace negotiations and would trigger sanctions against Moscow.
“I deem it necessary to make a decision that should have been made a long time ago – to immediately recognise the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic,” Putin said.
– With ALASTAIR SMOUT and MICHELLE NICHOLS
