Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said he would consider recognizing the independence of two separatist territories in eastern Ukraine, a move the U.S. warned would trigger a severe response from the West.
Putin made his comments at the beginning of a public meeting of his Security Council convened in part to discuss a request by Russia’s State Duma, its parliament, to recognize as independent the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic.
The two regions have declared independence and have fought Ukrainian government forces since 2014 with the support of Moscow.
The U.S., its allies and partners have warned against Russian intervention in the territories amid efforts to stave off a full-scale Russian invasion of its neighbor Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week said the U.S. and its allies would impose a “swift and firm response” if Moscow made the move to recognize the territories as independent.
Such a move by the Kremlin would violate and destroy efforts at diplomacy through the Minsk agreements, the U.S., its allies and the Ukrainian government have said, which were established in 2015 to resolve the fighting in Donetsk and Luhansk.
The separatists regions are the front line in Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine. The Biden administration has warned the Kremlin has plans to carry out a “false flag” operation to create a pretext for a larger invasion against Ukraine. The U.S. says recent statements by Russian officials claiming a genocide is occurring in eastern Ukraine are part of those efforts.
The Biden administration, as part of an effort to deter Russia, has warned that Moscow could use disinformation and sow confusion to mask its military actions.
Blinken last week during a speech at the United Nations Security Council warned the Russian government may “theatrically convene emergency meetings” and declare it necessary to “defend Russian citizens or ethnic Russians in Ukraine.”
