The international community is preparing to announce today a set of sanctions against Russia

The international community is preparing on Tuesday to announce sanctions against Russia after the decision of the president of that country, Vladimir Putin, to recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, in Ukrainian territory, and to deploy troops. the army to carry out ‘peacekeeping missions.

According to the international community, Putin’s decision means burying the Minsk agreements of a peaceful settlement in the Donbass region, as well as an assault on the territorial integrity of the state and a forced modification of the existing borders in Europe..

These are the latest events that await the reactions of the international community to continue this Tuesday:

Russian decision

Russian soldiers will be deployed in the territories of the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, which were recognized by Moscow on Monday, to carry out “pacification” tasks.By two decrees signed by President Vladimir Putin. In accordance with these decrees, the Russian army “guarantees peace” in those regions until the signing of agreements of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between the two entities and Moscow.

The decrees were signed after Putin made the decision on Monday to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk, once the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) sent him a resolution on February 15 urging him to take the step.

Russia’s delegate to the UN Security Council, Vasily Nebenzia said that his country “does not want a bloodbath in the Donbass.” (Eastern region of Ukraine) stressed that there is “unfounded panic of the invasion of Ukraine” in Western countries.

Ukrainian response

President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of violating his country’s territorial integrity by recognizing the independence of the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Zelensky He stressed that the Russian president’s decision means Russia’s unilateral abandonment of the Minsk peace agreements and the decisions taken with Germany and France in the Normandy format.

“Ukraine unequivocally describes the latest Russian actions as a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its state.”Zelensky said during a televised speech. He pointed out that with his decision, “Russia legitimizes its forces in the Donbass occupied territories since 2014,” referring to Moscow’s secret military support for the armed uprising in Donbass.

regional situation

On Monday, monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe reported more than 3,000 ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine, where the line of contact between government forces and pro-Russian separatist militias lies. These numbers are much higher than the average number of accidents recorded in the past seven days. The fighting in the region since its beginning in 2014, has killed more than 14,000 people.

US reaction

President of the United States, Joe Biden signed an executive order on Monday banning new investment, trade and other economic transactions by US institutions and citizens in Donetsk and Lugansk. But a senior US official said the Russian military has been supporting pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine since 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea, and the US strategy is to “monitor” and “evaluate” Russia’s actions in response. the next few hours.

The reaction of the international community

Germany, France and the United States agreed “not to renounce their commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine”, As well as using it “with all its might” to avoid a new escalation. German government spokesman Stephen Hebestreet said in a statement that Putin’s decision represented a “clear break” with the Minsk agreements, which “cannot go unanswered.”

New penalties

The United States, the European Union and other allies plan to impose new economic sanctions on Russia on Tuesday. The session held by the UN Security Council on Monday evening ended without any agreement and without a bloc of countries allied to the United States announcing sanctions against Russia that were promised today from its capitals, which are supposed to be achieved in the next few hours.

The European Union has already announced that it will respond by “imposing sanctions” on those “implicated” in the “illegal” decision of Vladimir Putin., although it is not specified at the moment. The announcement was made in a joint statement by the President of the European Council and the European Commission, Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, respectively. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, and several of the group’s foreign ministers are meeting in Paris.

The British government’s emergency cabinet will meet on Tuesday morning to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine and agree a “large package of sanctions” against Russia to be implemented immediately.

(With information from EFE)

Read on: