.png)
Russiaâs maneuvers appeared to be increasingly out of step with world opinion, and were sharply rebuked by several nations at a hastily convened meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday night. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of wanting the world to âtravel back in time to a time before the United Nations â to a time when empires ruled the world,â and testing the international rules-based system.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told his countrymen early Tuesday that âwe will give up nothing to no oneâ and that Ukraineâs internationally recognized borders âwill stay that way, despite any statements or actions taken by the Russian Federation.â
Hereâs what to know
Putin orders troops into newly recognized separatist regions
Return to menuRussian President Vladimir Putin, after recognizing two Russian-backed separatist regions in Ukraine as independent, ordered Russian forces into the territories for âpeacekeepingâ purposes, dramatically escalating a crisis that has put Europe on the brink of a full-fledged war.
In two Russian presidential orders published by the state news agency RIA Novosti, Putin ordered the Russian Defense Ministry to ensure the deployment of the Russian military into the Donetsk Peopleâs Republic and Luhansk Peopleâs Republic for the purposes of âsupporting peace.â Troops have been amassing near the Ukrainian border for weeks.
Putin approved the agreements for 10 years, according to the full document published by RIA Novosti, allowing Russia to build military bases in Donetsk and Luhansk and jointly patrol their borders with Ukraine.
Despite fueling a war in the regions since 2014, the Kremlin has long denied that regular Russian forces are aiding the separatist fighters, though their presence has been documented by the Ukrainian and U.S. governments for many years.
The decision to openly deploy Russian forces into the territories â which have seen a significant rise in violence in recent days â further raises the risk of a full-scale war in Ukraine. If Russian troops die and the Kremlin blames Ukrainian forces, such an incident could be used as a pretext for a broader invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military.
World leaders accuse Putin of breaching international law
Return to menuWorld leaders have roundly condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for breaching international law and violating Ukraineâs sovereignty following his announcement Monday to recognize the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk, two Russian-backed separatist areas in Ukraineâs Donbas region.
The breakaway regions are at the heart of the crisis between Ukraine and Russia; Western leaders have feared Russia would recognize them as independent of Ukraine to create a pretext for invasion.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement the Biden administration will respond swiftly, having anticipated this move from Russia.
âPresident Biden will soon issue an Executive Order that will prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine,â Psaki said. She noted the measures are separate from and would be in addition to the âswift and severe economic measuresâ the United States has already coordinated with its allies.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission â the executive branch of the European Union â called Putinâs recognition of the breakaway territories a âblatant violation of international lawâ and other agreements, and said swift sanctions against Russia will follow.
The recognition of the two separatist territories in #Ukraine is a blatant violation of international law, the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the #Minsk agreements.
The EU and its partners will react with unity, firmness and with determination in solidarity with Ukraine.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson signaled Britainâs willingness to hold off on imposing sanctions for now, but said Putinâs move was a repudiation of the Minsk agreements.
âI think itâs a very ill omen and a very dark sign,â Johnson said Monday.
Latviaâs foreign ministry in a tweet blasted Putinâs move as a âcontinuation of the attack on [Ukrainian] independence, sovereignty & territorial integrityâ and said it would deliver Javelin antitank missiles to Ukraine on Tuesday.
The sentiments were echoed by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who called sanctions against Russia âthe only language Putin understands.â
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg pointed the finger at Moscow for escalating the conflict and urged Russia to âchoose diplomacy.â
Earlier Monday, the United Nations announced Secretary General António Guterres was canceling his mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo and returning to New York in light of the âdeterioratingâ situation in Ukraine.
Putinâs announcement came shortly after Russiaâs Security Council on Monday called for him to recognize the breakaway territories, which since 2014 have self-declared as the Donetsk Peopleâs Republic and Luhansk Peopleâs Republic.
Neither territory has been recognized by the United States or other world powers; the Ukrainian government considers the republics to be terrorist organizations.
English (United States) · 
Turkish (Turkey) ·