Vladimir Putin ordered forces Monday to “maintain peace” in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, hours after the Kremlin recognized the area’s independence. The announcement raised fears that an invasion was imminent, if not already underway.
MOSCOW — Russian President
In a joint statement, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel called it “a blatant violation of international law” and said, without elaborating, that the bloc “will react with sanctions.” Leaders of France and other nations condemned the move as well.
Afterward he signed decrees recognizing the Donetsk and Luhansk regions’ independence, eight years after fighting erupted between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces, and called on lawmakers to approve measures paving the way for military support. With an estimated 150,000 Russian troops massed on three sides of Ukraine, the U.S. has warned that Moscow has already decided to invade. Still, Biden and Putin tentatively agreed to a meeting brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron in a last-ditch effort to avoid war.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan, meanwhile, said the administration has always been ready to talk to avert a war — but was also prepared to respond to any attack. Over 14,000 people have been killed since conflict erupted in the eastern industrial heartland of in 2014, shortly after Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on Vladimir Putin to meet as tensions riseZelenskyy says Ukraine is appealing for a ‘diplomatic path for the sake of a peaceful settlement.’ There was no immediate response from the Kremlin
Read more »
Biden and Putin agree in principle to summit unless Ukraine invaded, France’s Macron saysU.S. Secretary of State Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov to formalize substance of meeting during their own meeting set for Feb. 24
Read more »
Biden-Putin summit groundwork laid as Ukraine war fears loomThe U.S. and Russian presidents have tentatively agreed to meet in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to stave Moscow's invasion of Ukraine as heavy shelling continued Monday in a conflict in eastern Ukraine that is feared will spark the Russian offensive.
Read more »
Biden-Putin summit discussed but fears of Ukraine war remainThe U.S. and Russian presidents tentatively agreed to meet in a last-ditch effort to stave off a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, even as sustained shelling continued Monday in a conflict in eastern Ukraine that Western powers fear could provide the spark for a broader war.
Read more »
Biden-Putin meeting on Ukraine still tentative, Kremlin says | CBC NewsU.S. President Joe Biden has agreed 'in principle' to a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin as long as that country holds off on what U.S. officials believe is an imminent assault on Ukraine.
Read more »