Putin Declares Independence for Ukraine Breakaway Territories

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognized two Ukrainian breakaway territories as independent.

In a statement Monday, the Kremlin said Putin in the “near future” will recognize the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic regions in eastern Ukraine.

“Today, the leadership of the DPR and LPR received appeals to recognize their sovereignty in connection with the military aggression of the Ukrainian authorities, massive shelling of the territory of Donbas, as a result of which the civilian population suffers,” the Kremlin wrote, per Fox News.

“With all this in mind, the President of Russia said that he intended to sign a corresponding decree in the near future,” the statement read, adding that the “President of France and the Federal Chancellor of Germany expressed their disappointment with this development.”

Putin also used the announcement to make a series of accusations against Ukraine, the U.S. and Western allies.

As reported by The Hill, a White House official said Monday that Biden was meeting with his national security team to discuss the developments, with reports of Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austinand Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley at the White House.