Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognized the independence of two breakaway republics in the east of Ukraine. The move by Putin was seen by the United States and its European allies as a dramatic provocation and possibly part of a pretext to invade Ukraine. The U.S. and European Union both swiftly announced sanctions. Many experts believe that Moscow's formal recognition will effectively scuttle a previous ceasefire agreement that some Western allies hoped could provide a route out of the crisis. In a wide-ranging televised speech Monday evening, Putin described Ukraine as a historical part of Russia that was illegitimately taken from Moscow and is now run by a "puppet regime" controlled by the U.S. and the West. "Ukraine is not just a neighboring country, they are a part of our culture," he said. Noting how Ukraine has taken down some of its Soviet-era statues, he warned Kyiv, "You want decommunization? We will show you what it's like. " He then signed a decree formally recognizing the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic, which have been controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014. Alongside him were Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, heads of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics. The Biden administration warned last week that the move would violate international law and Ukraine's sovereignty, and would "necessitate a swift and firm response" from America and its allies. The Russian leader's decision effectively signals that Moscow is no longer interested in negotiating with the West to find a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine crisis based on cease-fire deals hammered out eight years ago, which have been consistently pointed to by both sides as the only viable framework for an agreement. Putin announced during an extraordinary public meeting of his security council in Moscow earlier on Monday that he would decide whether to formally recognize the independence of the self-declared "People's Republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. During that meeting, members of the council made impassioned speeches in support of the move. "The goal of our meeting today is to listen to our colleagues and map out our next moves in this matter, meaning both the requests by the leaders of the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic to Russia asking to recognize their sovereignty," Putin opened the meeting by saying. At the end of the event, he told the council: "I have heard your opinions. The decision will be taken." — Agencies
