Putin ordered Russian authorities on Saturday to recognize identification documents issued in terrorist-held areas of eastern Ukraine (so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, which are considered terrorist organizations in Ukraine).
Ukrainian authorities sharply criticized Putin’s decision, saying Russia had violated the Minsk peace process.
“For me, this is another proof of Russian occupation as well as Russian violation of international law,” Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko told reporters in Munich, Germany.
“This step completely negates the Minsk process,” said Oleksander Turchynov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, which is headed by Poroshenko.
According to the Minsk agreements, Russia should return control over Ukraine’s eastern border back to Ukraine. US and European sanctions on Russia are tightly connected to the implementation of the Minsk agreements, i.e. sanctions will continue to destroy Russian economy until Putin starts to implement what he promised in Minsk.
Recognition of “passports” of the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine is the first step of Russia towards recognition of Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine as independent “states”. This means that Russia openly spits on the agreements achieved in Minsk and will not give Ukraine control over Ukraine’s own borders (since “obviously” now these borders are “not” Ukraine’s any more).
Why did Putin sign the decree about recognition of DPR’s and LPR’s passports now? That’s because by 18 February 2017 it became clear that USA will not lift its sanctions. Trump was the last hope of sinking Russia to remove sanctions on Russia imposed for its aggression in Ukraine, however, miracle didn’t happen. On 18 February 2017 Mike Pence in his speech at the Munich Security Conference emphasized once again that USA considers Russia accountable for the war in Ukraine.
Now Russia has nothing to lose and Putin has returned to his usual behavior of an offended hysterical woman. Hopefully this will result in even more sanctions on Russia. Putin’s suicidal train that runs towards the cliff keeps accelerating. This is good but also bad news for Ukraine, since this sick person can take too many lives with him.
Read more:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-russia-documents-idUSKBN15X0KR
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