KYIV (Parliament Politics Magazine) – After recognising two rebel-held territories in eastern Ukraine as separate states, Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent soldiers into them.
Russia stated the troops would be involved in “peacekeeping” in the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.
The United States, on the other hand, stated that referring to them as peacekeepers was “nonsense” and that Russia was inventing a pretext for war.
Russian-backed separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian military in the two districts since 2014.
Ukraine’s president accused Russia of deliberately infringing on the country’s sovereignty.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine wants peace in a late-night televised speech to the nation, but added, “We are not afraid” and “will not give anything away to anyone”. Kyiv required “clear and meaningful actions of support” from the international allies, he added.
It’s critical to recognise now who the true friend and partner is, and who will continue to scare Russia with words alone, he continued.
“We know what they really are,” US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Ambassador said at a UN Security Council emergency meeting, dismissing Russia’s assertions that troops would be performing “peacekeeping” duties.
She claimed that Russia’s recognition of Luhansk and Donetsk as separate provinces was part of a plan to justify an invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya urged that the rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region must be protected against what he described as Ukrainian aggression. “Allowing a new bloodbath in the Donbas is something we do not intend to do,” he declared.
Russian passports have been issued to a considerable number of people in Donetsk and Luhansk in recent years, and Western allies fear that Russia will now send military units in to protect its nationals.
Mr Putin stated in an hour-long speech on Monday that Soviet Russia “built” modern Ukraine, referring to the country as “ancient Russian lands.”
He said that Russia was “robbed” when the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, that Ukraine is a “US colony” governed by a puppet government, and that Ukrainians are suffering under its current administration. He portrayed the 2014 protests that overthrew Ukraine’s pro-Russian president as a coup.
It’s inexcusable and unprovoked
President Joe Biden signed an executive order prohibiting new investment, commerce, and financing by Americans in the separatist territories, which was promptly condemned by the US. The steps, according to the White House, are distinct from broader Western penalties that are poised to be implemented “should Russia continue to invade Ukraine.”
Russia’s actions, according to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, are a “flagrant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and integrity” that violates international law. It was “a really awful omen and a very dark sign,” he claimed. On Tuesday, he will lead a meeting of the government’s emergency committee to agree on a major package of penalties against Russia.
The European Union promised to “respond in solidarity with Ukraine with unity, strength, and determination.”
“It’s unacceptable, it’s unprovoked, it’s unwarranted,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters that the suggestion of ‘peacekeeping’ is nonsense.
Putin’s move exacerbates the continuing crisis in Ukraine, which is surrounded on all sides by more than 150,000 Russian troops. Although Russia has denied any plans to invade, the United States believes an attack is near.
Prior to his declaration, both German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Western powers have united behind Ukraine, threatening Russia with harsh sanctions if it invades, though it is unclear how severe the response will be.
