Ukraine crisis: Vladimir Putin meets with the leaders of his government during the Ukraine crisis
New Delhi:
The Kremlin said in a statement on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would recognize the independence of the breakaway republics of eastern Ukraine, adding that he had informed French leaders and Germany on its decision. “In the near future, the President plans to sign the order,” the Kremlin said, in a statement published ahead of Putin’s expected national address. It added that French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had “expressed disappointment” over the decision in phone calls with Putin. At the same time, they expressed their readiness to continue contacts. France and Germany have been mediators in the conflict between Kyiv and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Here are live updates on the Ukraine crisis:
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Ukrainian soldiers report increased shelling on the front lines, fearing ‘provocations’
Government troops in the trenches of eastern Ukraine said on Monday heavy weapons fire from Russia-backed separatists had increased to incite full-blown conflict amid fears Russia was looking for pretexts. for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported. Ukraine’s military has been battling Russian-backed forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions bordering Russia since 2014 in a conflict that Ukraine’s leadership says has left 15,000 people dead. A ceasefire in 2015 averted the worst of the fighting, but shelling has increased along the “line of communication” since last week as Russia increased its forces along the Ukrainian border.
The Kremlin on Monday said Russian President Vladimir Putin was planning to recognize two of Ukraine’s rebel regions as independent, a move that could trigger a potentially catastrophic conflict with the government. Kyiv’s Western backing. In a statement after Putin spoke to the leaders of France and Germany, the Kremlin said Putin had informed them of the request from the authorities of the breakaway regions and from Russian lawmakers to Moscow. recognition. “In the near future, the president plans to sign the order,” the statement said, adding that Emmanuel Macron of France and Olaf Scholz of Germany “expressed disappointment” over the decision in phone calls.
Macron calls defense council meeting on Ukraine
His office said French President Emmanuel Macron had convened the country’s defense and security council for a meeting on Monday to assess the situation in Ukraine. The meeting of the council headed by Macron and a handful of key ministers came after the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin would recognize the independence of the breakaway republics, AFP news agency reported. eastern Ukraine.
The head of the Kremlin urges Putin to recognize Ukrainian rebels: AFP
President Vladimir Putin sat behind a table in the Kremlin on Monday as his top officials gave cryptic speeches one after another urging him to recognize the independence of the rebel republics. in eastern Ukraine. The highly unusual Kremlin security council meeting was unscheduled, lasting about 90 minutes and broadcast on state television after it took place. Mr. Putin presided over a large table, behind the Russian flag and a long blue curtain. His officials sat away from one of the Kremlin’s large marble rooms. A green carpet spread across the hall leading to Mr. Putin.
Scholz of Germany condemns Putin’s threat to recognize Ukrainian regions
Reuters news agency said on Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned President Vladimir Putin’s comments that Russia could recognize two Kremlin-backed breakaway regions of Ukraine as independent. Scholz’s office said in a statement, the German chancellor also told Putin in a phone call that any such move could be seen as a “one-sided violation” of the Minsk agreements designed to end the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Israel moves Kyiv embassy to Lviv: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Israel is moving its embassy in Kiev to Lviv in western Ukraine, the foreign ministry said Monday in a statement. Several Western countries have also moved diplomats from Kiev to Lviv, located near the border with Poland, in anticipation of Russian military action. “After assessing the situation … Foreign Minister Yair Lapid decided to instruct staff at the Israeli embassy in Kiev to move to consular offices opened in the city of Lviv, western Ukraine. “, the ministry said in a statement, AFP reported.
UN warns against ‘unilateral action’ that could weaken Ukraine
The United Nations on Monday called on all sides to exercise restraint and not take “unilateral actions” that undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity, minutes before Russia announced that President Vladimir Putin would recognize Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Ukraine’s rebel territories are independent. “We encourage everyone involved to exercise restraint against any unilateral decision or unilateral action that could undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. AFP reported.
EU sanctions ‘on the table’ if Putin recognizes Ukraine’s secession
The European Union will move to impose sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir Putin recognizes Ukraine’s breakaway territories as independent, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday. Monday. “We urge President Putin to respect international law and the Minsk agreements, and ask him not to recognize the independence of the Lugansk and Donetsk towers,” Borrell said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers. in Brussels, AFP reported.
Russia’s next move in the context of the Ukraine crisis
“In the near future, the president plans to sign the order,” the Kremlin said. AFP news agency reported that French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz “expressed disappointment” over the decision in phone calls with Putin.
Putin recognizes two breakaway regions in Ukraine as independent states
The Kremlin said in a statement on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would recognize the independence of the breakaway republics of eastern Ukraine, adding that he had informed French leaders and Germany on its decision.
