Putin to Recognise Ukraine Rebel Territories as Independent, to 'Sign Order in Near Future': Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin will recognise Ukraine rebel territories as independent, reported AFP news agency. In a statement, the Kremlin said that Putin will recognise the independence of eastern Ukraine’s separatist republics. It also said that the President had informed his decision to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“In the near future, the president plans to sign the order,” the Kremlin said. It added that Macron and Scholz had “expressed disappointment” over the decision over a phone conversation with Putin.

This comes after Putin said earlier in the day that he would decide by the end of the day whether to consider recognising two rebel regions of Ukraine as independent. The move could trigger a catastrophic conflict with Ukraine. Earlier, presiding over a long and carefully stage-managed meeting of his powerful Security Council, Putin listened to senior officials say it was time for Russia to recognise the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent.

The recognition will also end an already weak peace arrangement in the separatist conflict. The move would also allow Russia to send troops in a bid to protect thousands of residents in the rebel regions who have been given Russian passports, thereby justifying its intervention in the name of defending its citizens. This will leave its neighbour Ukraine to either concede the loss of its land or face an armed conflict with Russia.

(With AFP inputs)

Read the Latest News and Breaking News here