Russian Troops To Maintain Peace In Ukraine – Putin
Following the recent crisis between Russia and Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin on Monday authorized his defense ministry to send troops into Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin said the troops are to maintain peace in two breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
As contained in a decree published earlier on Tuesday, Putin has said Moscow would recognise the independence of the regions.
According to the decree, the troops are to stay in the territory until both separatist states sign treaties about “friendship, co-operation, and mutual aid”.
According to Financial Times, the White House said President Joe Biden would soon grant an executive order that would ban new investment, trade and financing by US people and entities in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine.
“This EO [executive order] will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine,” said Jen Psaki, White House press secretary.
“We will also soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.”
Psaki said the measures were separate from the economic sanctions the US has threatened to employ if Putin occupies Ukraine. “We are continuing to closely consult with Allies and partners, including Ukraine, on next steps and on Russia’s ongoing escalation along the border with Ukraine.”
Furthermore, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel criticized Putin’s ruling, saying it is a “blatant violation of international law as well as of the Minsk agreements.”
UK foreign secretary Liz Truss also said sanctions were on the way. “Tomorrow we will be announcing new sanctions on Russia in response to their breach of international law and attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she tweeted.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg denounced the move, saying “this further undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party.”
According to a statement from the Elysée in Paris, French president Emmanuel Macron called for targeted European sanctions and a meeting of the UN Security Council. He condemned Putin’s decision, and said it was “clearly a unilateral violation of Russia’s international commitments and a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty”
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