Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognised two Moscow-backed rebel regions of Ukraine as independent, in a move that could set off a potentially catastrophic war with Kyiv\u2019s Western-backed government.
In an often angry 65-minute televised national address, Putin railed against Russia\u2019s ex-Soviet neighbour Ukraine as a failed state and \u201cpuppet\u201d of the West, repeatedly suggesting that it is essentially part of Russia.
He accused authorities in Kyiv of persecuting Russian speakers and of preparing a \u201cblitzkrieg\u201d against the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in Ukraine\u2019s east.
\u201cAs for those who seized and hold power in Kyiv, we demand an immediate end to their military operations,\u201d Putin said.
\u201cOtherwise, all responsibility for the possible continuation of bloodshed will be fully on the conscience of the regime in power in Ukraine.\u201d Putin said it was necessary to \u201ctake a long overdue decision, to immediately recognise the independence\u201d of the two regions.
Immediately after the speech, state television showed him signing mutual aid agreements with rebel leaders in the Kremlin.
The recognition effectively puts an end to an already shaky peace plan in the separatist conflict, which has rumbled on since 2014, after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine, and has left more than 14,000 dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EU \u2018will react with sanctions\u2019 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognised two Moscow-backed rebel regions of Ukraine as independent,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/strong>Russia could now move in troops at the request of separatist officials, or to protect hundreds of thousands of residents who have been granted Russian passports, justifying an intervention as a defence of its citizens.
Ukraine would then either have to accept the loss of a huge chunk of territory, or face an armed conflict against its vastly more powerful neighbour.
The move drew immediate condemnation from the West, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling it \u201ca flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of the Ukraine\u201d.
EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel promised the bloc \u201cwill react with sanctions against those involved in this illegal act.\u201d Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg also condemned Putin\u2019s move, saying it violates international agreements signed by Moscow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"