President Vladimir Putin stated on Monday that Russia would decide whether or not to recognize two separatist areas in eastern Ukraine as independent states later that day. He made the remark at the conclusion of a televised Security Council meeting in which a number of officials discussed the deteriorating situation in the two self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine. Since 2014, separatists supported by Russia have been fighting Ukrainian government forces in the region, a battle that Kyiv claims has claimed about 15,000 lives.
Ukraine has made an urgent appeal. The United Nations Security Council is debating how to de-escalate the issue. Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said on Monday that he has invited members of the United Nations Security Council to have urgent talks on practical actions to ensure his country’s security and de-escalate tensions with Russia.
Putin earlier said he will make a decision about the division of Ukraine
Russia is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council with veto power. President Vladimir Putin of Russia stated earlier on Monday that he will make a decision on whether or not to recognise two breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine later that day. The United Kingdom claims that unilateral sanctions on Russia would help Putin’s narrative.
British defence minister Ben Wallace warned on Monday that imposing sanctions on Russia unilaterally in response to its activities in Ukraine would play into President Vladimir Putin’s narrative.
“If we were to unilaterally deliver them now, and America wasn’t, and the European Union wasn’t, I think there is a danger that President Putin would play into a divide and rule narrative,” Wallace said when asked by a politician if it was appropriate to start implementing sanctions.
As the Russia-Ukraine crisis rages on, top US foreign policy officials converge at the White House. Top US foreign policy officials gathered at the White House on Monday as Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated he was considering recognizing two eastern Ukraine regions as independent states, a move that might prompt Moscow to openly send soldiers in.
On the U.S. Presidents Day federal holiday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley arrived at the White House, according to a Reuters eyewitness.