Ukraine. Russia recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass. Live coverage of events around Ukraine – February 22

The People’s Councils of the separatist Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DRL) in Ukraine’s Donbass on Tuesday signed agreements on cooperation, friendship and mutual assistance with Russia.

In both cases, the documents were unanimously approved by the so-called parliament. After they were approved, voting participants welcomed the results to Russia with applause and thanks.

Russia does not recognize the “people’s republics” in the Donbass region within the Donetsk and Luhansk regions – that is, it is wider than what is actually controlled by separatists, Svetlana Djokovic, vice chair of the Russian State Duma’s foreign body, said on Tuesday.

– Of course, this is about the current frontiers. No one will go further. We do not define any other boundaries in the documents – said Zhukowa.

Johnson: The tragedy of this situation is that President Putin is surrounded by like-minded advisers who say to themselves that Ukraine is not a real country. I think he will find out that he is very wrong.

Johnson: We will immediately introduce a set of sanctions.

Boris Johnson After the meeting of the National Security Council: Evidence shows that Vladimir Putin is ready to launch a full-scale invasion.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin “seems ready for a full-scale invasion” of Ukraine, a BBC political correspondent quoted by Reuters said.

Laura Kuenssberg said the first sanctions against Russia would be announced in the House of Commons in the afternoon.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Anthony Blingen on Tuesday, saying China was concerned about the “deteriorating” situation in Ukraine. He stressed that “the legitimate concerns of every country” must be respected.

– The situation in Ukraine is deteriorating. Wang told Blinken, quoted in a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement, that China was again calling for restraint on all interested parties.

– Russia has made it clear that it will formally recognize these People’s Republics, recognizing the separation of other parts of Ukraine from its territory, and annexing other territories – said former Polish Ambassador to Russia Katarzyna Bezinska-Nazk. “Get up and know”.

As he added, “It is covered in different words and legal interpretations, but in fact it is a link and regular Russian troops entered these areas”. “This means breaking the Minsk agreements and changing the whole Russian story so far,” he said.

The Foreign Ministry in Kiev has called on the West to impose “painful sanctions” on Russia to end its occupation and restore peace in Europe. “Russia’s future decisions and actions depend on the world’s reaction to today’s events. We therefore call for strong sanctions against Russia and send a clear message that the increase is unacceptable. Said.

According to the Ukrainian media, Russian tanks may move from Donetsk towards the border fort. A Reuters reporter said on Tuesday morning he saw five Russian tanks driving in one column and another in two separatist-held cities.

On Monday evening, Radio Svoboda’s witnesses said they saw a large number of military equipment heading towards the front line where Ukrainian soldiers were taking positions.

British Health Minister Sajid Javed told the BBC on Tuesday that Western nations “always want dialogue and continue to do so.” – President Putin’s actions clearly indicate that he chose the path of conflict instead of dialogue – the British politician added.

In an interview with Sky News, Javed said the British Prime Minister would report to the British Parliament on Tuesday on the situation around Ukraine. Boris Johnson will brief the delegation on what the British authorities know about the current crisis and what London is going to do about it.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that it would first need to ratify the friendship agreement and then discuss the borders on which Russia would recognize the self-proclaimed separatist republics in eastern Ukraine.

– First, we will give our MPs time to do their part and complete the legal process, and then we will discuss the nuances – Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharov, quoted RIA Novosti.

Reuters quoted Interfax as saying that pro-Russian separatists had accused “Ukrainian saboteurs” of exploding a tunnel on the road on Tuesday. As a result of this incident, three civilians had to die.

The separatist representative did not present any evidence confirming the incident. The Ukrainian side has not yet responded to the allegations. Kiev has repeatedly denied similar allegations, accusing separatists and officials in Moscow of deliberately spreading false information.

Leginia: Ukrainians will not give free rein to self-proclaimed republics.

Leginia: Russia’s goal is to destabilize Ukraine and increase its influence.

Legienia: In my opinion, the current situation is not the end of a particular phase, but the beginning of its next chapter.

Leginia: In Moscow, Putin adopted a number of functional scenarios, from the minimum version to the maximum version.

“Wake up, you know,” commented Arcadius Leginia, researcher at the Polish Institute for International Relations on Crisis Around Ukraine in the morning.

The Ukrainian military said Tuesday morning that two Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and 12 wounded in shelling by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Reuters has confirmed that this is the highest number of casualties in fighting in Donbass since the beginning of this year.

Ukraine’s armed forces have reported 84 bombs fired by pro-Russian separatists targeting areas of about 40 people in the front line in the past 24 hours. Moreover, the separatists used heavy artillery.

Blaszczak: We expect serious, not symbolic, sanctions against Russia; Only tough sanctions can stop Vladimir Putin from rebuilding the Russian Empire.

Defense Minister Mariusz Bulaszak: We can confirm that Russian forces entered the territory of the self-proclaimed republics, thus practically violating the borders of Ukraine. International law has been violated. This type of activity is not allowed.

“Russia’s decision to recognize the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics violates not only the Minsk agreements, but also Ukraine’s political unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. These Russian decisions are unacceptable and we reject them,” he said. . Turkish diplomacy. He also called on all parties to the conflict to abide by international law.

Turkey, a NATO member that borders Russia and Ukraine across the Black Sea, maintains good relations with both countries, Reuters reported. Ankara has already mediated the conflict, he added. It warned Moscow against invading Kiev, while opposing the imposition of sanctions on Russia.

“Russia’s recognition of the so-called republics controlled by its own proxies is a predictable and shameful act,” the foreign secretary wrote on Twitter. USA Anthony Blingen. He further added that the United States has “strongly condemned” this act.

Charles Michael, President of the Council of Europe In an interview with President Volodymyr Zelensky, he said on Twitter that he expressed the EU’s full support for Ukraine’s regional unity. “Russia’s action is an attack on international law and order,” he said.

The Reuters agency released a night video showing a column of military vehicles – including tankers and armored personnel carriers. A witness, cited by the agency, said he saw tanks and war vehicles passing through separatist-held Donetsk.

The vehicles were not marked by Reuters, but were recorded just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian “peacekeepers” to be sent to the separatist Donetsk and Lukansk republics in eastern Ukraine.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmitro Kuleba of Ukraine The telephone conversation with the Secretary of State was reported on Tuesday USA by Antonym Blinken. “I emphasize the need to impose stricter sanctions on Russia for its illegal activities,” he wrote on Twitter.

Earlier on Tuesday, Culeba spoke of coordinating with other countries’ capitals on the introduction of new sanctions against Russian authorities. “Regardless of the time zone, world capitals are not sleeping. The work of new sanctions is being finalized,” the politician pointed out. “Russia’s next steps will depend on how the world reacts to that country’s actions,” Guleba said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister held telephone conversations with the Foreign Minister on Tuesday night Melanie Jolie of CanadaHead of Diplomacy British Lease Dress And Joseph Borel, President of EU Diplomacy.