Russia dares America, invades Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian troops to “maintain peace” in two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, hours after the Russian president recognised Donetsk and Luhansk as independent entities.

In two official decrees, Putin on Monday instructed the country’s defence ministry to assume “the function of maintaining peace” in the eastern regions.

America Reacts

The United States said it supports Ukraine’s call for an urgent UN Security Council meeting, calling Russia’s recognition of two Ukrainian breakaway regions an “unprovoked violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

“The Security Council must demand that Russia respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a UN Member State,” US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/21/us-warns-of-possible-targeted-killings-by-russia-live-news

US, France and Germany discuss coordinated response to Russia

In a phone call on Monday, the leaders of the US, France and Germany discussed how they “will continue to coordinate their response on next steps” against Russia.

“The leaders strongly condemned President Putin’s decision to recognize the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine as ‘independent’,” the White House said in a statement.

UN chief says Russia violating Ukraine’s sovereignty: Spokesperson

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes Russia has violated the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine by recognising Donetsk and Luhansk as independent entities, a spokesperson said.

“The United Nations, in line with the relevant General Assembly resolutions, remains fully supportive of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

US official says Russian troops could move into pro-Moscow regions of Ukraine in the coming hours

The US expects Russian troops could move into the Donbas region of Ukraine as soon as Monday evening or Tuesday eastern time, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognizedthe two pro-Moscow territories as independent, a senior US official familiar with latest the intelligence tells CNN.

The US is still seeing preparations for a broader potential invasion including loading amphibious ships and

equipment for airborne units.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/21/politics/us-russia-putin-reaction/index.html

President Joe Biden plans to impose new sanctions on trade and financing in the two territories in response to Putin’s moves, the White House said Monday. In a statement, the White House said Biden would sign an executive order that would “prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by US persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine.”

Putin signed decrees recognizing the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic in a ceremony carried on state television earlier Monday.

The US is declining to specify whether so-called “peacekeeping” forces sent from Russia into eastern Ukraine would constitute a further invasion of the country.

Instead, the official said Russian forces have been operating in the Donbas region since Moscow’s first incursion into the country in 2014.

“Russian troops moving into Donbas would not itself be a new step. Russia has had forces in the Donbas region for the past eight years,” the official said.

The official, speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity, said the US would monitor Russian actions on the ground, but declined to say whether the entry of troops would trigger the large package of sanctions that have been promised.