RUSSIA, UKRAINE, UN: Witnesses saw columns of military vehicles including tanks early Tuesday on the outskirts of Donetsk, the capital of one of two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised them as independent states.
Reporters saw about five tanks in a column on the edge of the city and two more in another part of town.
No insignia were visible, but the appearance of the tanks came hours after Putin signed friendship treaties with the two separatist regions and ordered Russian troops to deploy on what Moscow called a peacekeeping operation. Reporters in Donetsk had not seen tanks on the streets in previous days.
Meanwhile, a long-feared Russian invasion of Ukraine appeared to be imminent Monday, if not already underway, with Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering forces into separatist regions of eastern Ukraine.
A vaguely worded decree signed by Putin did not say if troops were on the move, and it cast the order as an effort to “maintain peace.” But it appeared to dash the slim remaining hopes of averting a major conflict in Europe that could cause massive casualties, energy shortages on the continent and economic chaos around the globe. Putin’s directive came hours after he recognized the separatist areas in a rambling, fact-bending discourse on European history.
Western powers reacted swiftly to Monday’s decision by Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognise the independence of the two self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine, condemning Moscow and calling for sanctions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that Putin’s decision required “a swift and firm response, and we will take appropriate steps in coordination with partners”.
The United States announced financial sanctions against the rebel territories freshly recognized by Russia in eastern Ukraine and warned that more were ready if necessary.
UN Chief Antonio Guterres said Russia’s decision amounted to “a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who was still pressing for a diplomatic settlement earlier Monday, called for targetted European Union sanctions against Moscow.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson denounced Putin’s decision as “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of the Ukraine”.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Moscow was breaking the Minsk peace agreements that it signed in 2014.
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg said Putin’s decision “further undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party.
“Moscow continues to fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine by providing financial and military support to the separatists. It is also trying to stage a pretext to invade Ukraine once again,” he added.
Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, the European Union’s two most senior figures, posted identical statements on Twitter.
Condemning Putin’s move as “a blatant violation of international law”, they added: “The EU and its partners will react with unity, firmness and with determination in solidarity with Ukraine.”
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said there are fears that the Ukraine crisis “could spread in other parts of Europe and the world, especially on the Western Balkans”. - THE HINDUSTAN TIMES, INDIAN EXPRESS
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