Washington and its allies vowed sanctions in response to Russia’s actions, with Germany moving to halt the crucial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to deliver Russian gas to Europe.
The world was facing up to a new phase in the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday, with Kyiv bracing for a potential conflict with Russia and the West moving to impose sanctions on Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognizing their independence Monday, threatening a major escalation following months of military buildup and warnings from the West that the Kremlin was trying to create a pretext to invade its neighbor. |
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The Russian parliament’s upper chamber, the Federation Council, also approved a request from Putin Tuesday evening on the use of armed forces outside Russia's territory, according to a statement. The council's statement said Putin would determine the number of military formations, their areas of operation and their length of time outside Russia.
Putin's request came after Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported that the chamber had taken the unusual move of telling lawmakers to return for a closed-door session after a break. Speaking to reporters afterward, Putin announced that Russia recognized the 2014 borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, Reuters reported, which were larger than the current boundaries and include the port of Mariupol. Putin said that the Minsk agreement to end the war in the Donbas region no longer existed and blamed Ukraine for its demise. Asked about the possible use of Russian forces in the Donbas, the Russian president said his country will carry out its obligations if necessary, the news service reported. Moscow's movement of troops drew swift international condemnation, with the U.S. now calling the move an “invasion,” two Biden administration officials told NBC News. |
Washington and its allies vowed sanctions would follow, as the West signaled Moscow would face a hard-hitting response to punish the move in eastern Ukraine and ward off any further incursion.
Germany halted the crucial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to deliver Russian natural gas to Europe, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying he would suspend the certification process of the project over what he called a “serious break of international law.” For weeks, Ukraine's leaders have urged calm in the face of dire warnings from the United States and its allies that an invasion was imminent. But in the wake of Putin's move, some were preparing for the worst. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said in a video message Tuesday that Russia had declared war on its neighbor. “From the actions of the Russian authorities, we see that Russia has in fact declared war on Ukraine. There are masses of Russian troops, who were coming there all night," he said, referring to the two Moscow-backed separatist areas in the country's east. Ukraine’s defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said in a message to the country's army Tuesday: “There are difficult challenges ahead. There will be losses. We will have to go through pain, overcome fear and despair.” Still, he urged his soldiers and generals to keep calm. |
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