Ukraine on Tuesday urged its Western allies to hit Russia with “tough sanctions” after President Vladimir Putin recognised two breakaway regions as independent and ordered in his troops, IgbereTV reports.
Putin’s move — which came with tens of thousands of Russian soldiers on Ukraine’s borders and fears of an all-out invasion — was quickly and widely condemned by Kyiv’s allies in the West.
The United States, Britain and the European Union all moved to announce new economic sanctions within hours, as European and Russian stocks tumbled and oil prices surged over news of the recognition.
Russian troops were meanwhile believed to be deploying into Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine, after Putin issued decrees ordering his army to assume “peacekeeping” functions in the separatist territories.
Western officials were not yet describing Putin’s moves as an invasion, but the situation remained deeply strained after weeks of tensions and days of intense shellfire on the frontline dividing the separatists from Kyiv’s forces
