{"id":76195,"date":"2022-02-22T00:18:41","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T04:18:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=76195"},"modified":"2022-02-22T21:11:31","modified_gmt":"2022-02-23T01:11:31","slug":"russia-president-vladimir-putin-recognizes-luhansk-and-donetsk-as-independent-states-and-orders-deployment-of-troops-into-eastern-ukraine-for-peacekeepingwestern-nations-announce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=76195","title":{"rendered":"Russian President Vladimir Putin Recognizes Luhansk and Donetsk as Independent States and Orders Deployment of Troops into Eastern Ukraine for \u201cPeacekeeping\u201d;Western Nations Announce Tough Sanctions; With 40 Sri Lankans Being in Ukraine Colombo Monitors Situation Closely"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two rebel- Sri held regions in eastern Ukraine yesterday (22), after recognising them as independent states, following which Western powers rallied behind Ukraine, promising tough sanctions against Russia if it invades, the BBC reported.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Russia said the troops have not yet been deployed but will be \u201cpeacekeeping\u201d in the regions, which it has backed since 2014. The US said calling them peacekeepers was \u201cnonsense\u201d, and accused Russia of creating a pretext for war.<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s president said his country was \u201cnot afraid of anything or anyone\u201d. In a late-night televised address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelensky called for \u201cclear and effective actions of support\u201d from Ukraine\u2019s international allies.
\n\u201cIt is very important to see now who our real friend and partner is, and who will continue to scare the Russian Federation with words only,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Fears over an invasion have been rising in recent months, as Russia has massed some 150,000 troops along Ukraine\u2019s borders, according to US estimates.<\/p>\n

At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield dismissed Russia\u2019s claims that troops would be taking on a \u201cpeacekeeping\u201d role, saying: \u201cWe know what they really are.\u201d <\/p>\n

Recognising Luhansk and Donetsk as independent was part of Russia\u2019s bid to create a reason to invade Ukraine, she said.
\nWestern powers have rallied behind Ukraine, promising tough sanctions against Russia if it invades \u2013 though it is not yet clear how effective this move could be.<\/p>\n

The US swiftly condemned Putin\u2019s move, and President Joe Biden signed an executive order that prohibits new investment, trade, and financing by Americans in the breakaway regions. The White House said the measures were separate to wider Western sanctions which are ready to go \u201cshould Russia further invade Ukraine\u201d.<\/p>\n

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Russia had violated Ukrainian sovereignty and \u201ccompletely torn up\u201d international law. He said Putin appeared \u201cbent on a full-scale invasion\u201d, and promised a \u201cbarrage of sanctions\u201d.<\/p>\n

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was halting the process of certifying the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline because of Russia\u2019s actions. The gas pipeline between Russia and Germany was completed last September but is not yet operating. Running under the Baltic Sea, it would double Moscow\u2019s gas exports to Germany and circumvent Ukraine, which relies on existing pipelines for income.<\/p>\n

The European Union pledged to \u201creact with unity, firmness and with determination in solidarity with Ukraine\u201d.
\nBoth Mr Scholz and France\u2019s President Emmanuel Macron spoke with the Russian leader ahead of his announcement.<\/p>\n

Russia has been backing a bloody armed rebellion in eastern Ukraine for the past eight years. Some 14,000 people \u2013 including many civilians \u2013 have died in fighting since then.
\nIn recent years, Russian passports have been given out to large numbers of people in Donetsk and Luhansk.<\/p>\n

The rebel-held areas have been evacuating women, children and the elderly to Russia since late last week.<\/p>\n

In an hour-long address on Monday, Putin said Ukraine was an integral part of his country\u2019s history, and described eastern Ukraine as \u201cancient Russian lands\u201d.<\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya argued for the need to defend the rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine\u2019s Donbas region from what he called Ukrainian aggression. \u201cAllowing a new bloodbath in the Donbas is something we do not intend to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But Zelensky said Moscow\u2019s recognition of the rebel-held regions represented a threat to the security of Ukraine and other European nations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we have a full-scale escalation\u2026 our neighbours would be put at risk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Government of Sri Lanka on Monday (21) said that it is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine in the context of recent developments. <\/p>\n

The Sri Lankan Embassy in Ankara, concurrently accredited to Kyiv, is in close contact with the over 40 Sri Lankan nationals, including 14 students, residing in Ukraine, with a view to ensure their safety and welfare, the Foreign Ministry said.<\/p>\n

While six of the 14 Sri Lankan students in Ukraine have left the country temporarily, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Ankara is in close communication with the eight remaining students, it said.
\nThe Foreign Ministry requested all Sri Lankan nationals in Ukraine to exercise vigilance and to be in contact with the Sri Lankan Embassy in Ankara. <\/p>\n

The Ministry also advised all Sri Lankan nationals to avoid non-essential travel to Ukraine at present.<\/p>\n

Tensions have spiked in east Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have been locked in a long conflict with Russia-backed separatists, while Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognised the independence of two breakaway regions in the country and ordered troops into the areas to ostensibly keep the peace.<\/p>\n

Courtesy;The Morning<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two rebel- Sri held regions in eastern Ukraine yesterday (22), after recognising them as independent states, following which Western powers rallied behind Ukraine, promising tough sanctions against Russia if it invades, the BBC reported. Russia said the troops have not yet been deployed but will be \u201cpeacekeeping\u201d in …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Russian President Vladimir Putin Recognizes Luhansk and Donetsk as Independent States and Orders Deployment of Troops into Eastern Ukraine for \u201cPeacekeeping\u201d;Western Nations Announce Tough Sanctions; With 40 Sri Lankans Being in Ukraine Colombo Monitors Situation Closely’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76195"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76195"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76197,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76195\/revisions\/76197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}