Russia to Recognize Lugansk and Donetsk Republics' Sovereignty

The president consulted with ministers, senior security officials, and government members earlier in the day as part of an emergency session of the Russian Security Council. In the session, their views were disclosed on the issue and its possible political, economic, and strategic implications.

RELATED:
Over 40 Thousand Refugees From Donbass Arrive in Russia

Ukraine is closely tied to Russia's history, culture and spiritual space, expressed Putin in a speech on Monday night. People of both nations share blood and family ties; they are our comrades, said the president. He also noted that Communist Russia created modern Ukraine after the Revolution in 1917. He also brought back the fact that Crimea was cut off from the Russian Soviet republic's jurisdiction and handed it over to the Ukrainian Soviet republic in the 1950s.      

Putin said that following the USSR collapse, nationalist elites and oligarchs took over Ukraine despite having nothing to do with its independence. In this connection, he remarked that Russia kept working with post-Soviet Ukraine honestly and respected Ukraine's interests. Their trade cooperation even grew, reaching tens of billions of dollars by the early 2010s, also marked Putin.  

Putin evoked the coup d'état supported by U.S. forces in 2014, which was carried out by Ukrainian radicals who took advantage of popular grievances over corruption. Hereupon, the countries' authorities led the nation toward a complete desovereignization and servility to the Western side. They sidelined the Russian community and sabotaged Orthodox believers' rights stated the president.

Putin acknowledges Donbass on live T.V.: "Ukraine is not a country, but part of our history." And sends the army "for peacekeeping operations."  
 
Putin accused Ukraine's current authorities of war instigation against Russia along these lines. He also alerted to the danger posed by Ukraine receiving support from the West in building a nuclear weapon. NATO nations have sent billions of dollars to Ukraine in the name of military assistance. He said that Russia could only react to such aggression.

The conflict in the Donbass has its origins in the February 2014 Maidan coup d'état in Kiev, in which Ukraine's unpopular but democratically elected government was defeated by political forces favoring integration with the European Union and NATO at the expense of ties with Russia. The discussion on the future of the self-declared states was about recognizing them as independent states; it has nothing to do with their becoming part of Russia, emphasized the president.

Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of the Federation Council, which is Russia's upper house of parliament, referred to the situation in the region as a humanitarian disaster and genocide. She brought into focus Russia's willingness throughout the 7+ year conflict to give a diplomatic and political solution to the conflict. She also accused West of pushing Russians and Ukrainians, two fraternal Slavic peoples, into a war.

Later Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that he has carried out urgent consultations with President Emmanuel Macron of France and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in connection with the comments made by officials at the Russian Security Council meeting. He has called a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.