TOPLINE Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to recognize pro-Russia rebel states in Eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin announced Monday, a move that the U.S. says would break international law and open the door for Russia to launch its new invasion of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin summons meeting of Russia's Security Council at Kremlin in Moscow, ... [+] ANADOLU AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES
Led by Russian-aligned leaders and Russian-backed separatist forces in Ukraine’s Donbass region, Donetsk and Luhansk both declared independence from Ukraine in 2014, each calling themselves a “People’s Republic.”
Last week, the Russian parliament passed a resolution urging Putin to recognize these rebel states as independent from Ukraine, and Putin’s council voiced overwhelming support of the self-declared republics Monday. |
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week Putin’s recognition of these states would “constitute a gross violation of international law,” and the U.S. has warned this could be the pretext for Putin to order Russian troops into Ukraine.
In response to Putin’s council meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said in a Monday tweet he made “urgent consultations” with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, also convening Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
KEY BACKGROUND
Since 2014, Russian-backed forces and political leaders have occupied the Donbass region. The Minsk agreements laid the groundwork for an international solution to the crisis and the re-integration of these states into Ukraine, though the pro-Russian forces remain in Eastern Ukraine. International leaders consistently refer to the Minsk agreement as the framework for diplomatic negotiations as the West tries to talk Putin out of ordering an invasion. Donetsk and Luhansk are where Russia claims there is significant Ukrainian military aggression, something the West has warned could be Putin’s justification for an attack. The U.S. says Putin has already decided to order an invasion, and multiple outlets reported Sunday Russian military commanders have already received the orders to attack.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
If a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Putin happens soon. Biden agreed to a meeting “in principle” with Putin brokered by Macron after previously saying he had no plans to talk to Putin, the White House said Sunday, though the Kremlin said Monday it’s “premature” to discuss a summit between Biden and Putin.
Read more on Forbes here.
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