Hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of Moscow-backed regions, the Kremlin has ordered troops into separatist-held parts of eastern Ukraine in what the Kremlin calls a "peacekeeping" mission. .
It is unclear whether Russian military movements marked the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, which Western leaders had warned about for weeks. But several US and Western officials cautioned that Monday's move could serve as the opening of a larger military operation targeting the country.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday evening that Putin's recognition of pro-Moscow regions was "an attempt to create an excuse for another invasion".
He said his claim that Russian forces were entering those areas as "peacekeepers" was "nonsense".
"We know exactly what they are," Thomas-Greenfield said.
In a fiery speech early Monday, Putin blasted Kiev's growing security ties with the West, and in lengthy remarks about the history of the USSR and the formation of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic, cast doubt on Ukraine's right to self-determination. did.
He called the eastern part of the country "ancient Russian land", adding that "Ukraine has never had a tradition of its own state."
The decrees signed by Putin conveyed Moscow's official recognition of two separate regions in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine - the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic (DPR and LPR). The decrees recognized them as independent states and guaranteed their security with Russian troops. The decrees stated that Russian so-called peacekeeping forces would be deployed in the regions.
A senior US administration official said the speech was meant to "justify war" to the Russian people and that it would correct the military by using "many false claims" as an "attack on the idea of a sovereign and independent Ukraine". was to stay. Work.
"The human cost of another Russian invasion and occupation would be catastrophic," the official said.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation early Tuesday, saying Russia's action violates the country's "national integrity and sovereignty" and that Ukraine's international borders "will remain so."
In his video address, Zelensky said, "We stand our ground. We are not afraid of anyone and nobody. We give nothing to anyone, and we will not give anything to anyone. And we have full confidence in this." Is."
He said Ukraine has launched an emergency meeting with the Normandy Four, which also includes Germany, Russia and France.
Russia says it is protecting residents in Donbass
Separatists in eastern Ukraine have long received substantial support from the Kremlin, with US, NATO and Ukrainian officials saying Moscow provides them with advisory support and intelligence, and embedding its own officers in their ranks. Russia has always denied that it has its troops on the ground.
Moscow has distributed hundreds of thousands of Russian passports to people in the Donbass in recent years, with Putin attempting to set the facts on the ground by naturalizing Ukrainians as Russian citizens. Kiev and the West maintain that the region is part of Ukrainian territory, although the Ukrainian government claims that both regions have been Russian-occupied since 2014, when the conflict in eastern Ukraine began.
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia described Moscow's actions as protecting the Russian-speaking peoples living in Donetsk and Luhansk, which he characterized as Ukrainian aggression. In a translated statement to the UN Security Council, Nebenzia said the recognition of those areas did not happen "suddenly".
“It should be remembered that the DPR and the LPR declared their independence from Ukraine in 2014. But we recognize them only now, despite the high level of support for doing so, both in the republics and in Russian society from the very beginning. Just to do that," he said.
Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Putin's decision to recognize the separated territories "a clear attack on Ukraine's sovereignty". US President Joe Biden then signed an executive order prohibiting new investment, trade and financing by American individuals in "the so-called Donetsk People's Republic or Luhansk People's Republic regions".
The order would also allow the US to impose sanctions on anyone working in those areas.
French President Emmanuel Macron has urged the European Union to adopt sanctions targeted at Russia, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the United Kingdom would announce new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday. Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Barbara Woodward, told the Security Council on Monday: "Its action will have serious economic consequences."
Biden said last month that "if any assembled Russian units cross the Ukrainian border, it is an invasion" and would be met with a "serious and coordinated economic response".
Putin increased belligerent rhetoric
On Monday, Putin held a highly choreographed televised meeting with his top officials, accusing Kiev of committing acts of aggression.
Putin also accused the West of threats and blackmail during the first unscheduled meeting of the Russian Security Council, which was televised, in an unusually theatrical setting.
The broadcast came hours after the White House announced that US President Joe Biden had agreed "in principle" to French-broker talks with Putin unless Russia invades Ukraine further. The Kremlin said earlier on Monday that there were "no concrete plans" for the meeting.
Speaking about the prospect of talks with Biden, Putin - who had two lengthy phone calls with Macron on Sunday - indicated he was skeptical.
"Yesterday I spoke with the French President on two occasions, the second call lasted until 2:00 PM. He assured me that the American situation had changed somewhat. But when I asked what these changes were, unfortunately 'He couldn't say no,' Putin said.
He then referred to remarks made on Sunday by Blinken, who once again insisted that the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO is "an issue for Ukraine and NATO."
The assurance that Ukraine will not be admitted to NATO in the future is one of the central demands made by the Kremlin.
The rise in Putin's belligerent language coincided with rising tensions in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said it had violated the ceasefire 32 times as of 4 pm. Monday local time, a number that roughly corresponded to those over the weekend.
New satellite images showed intense activity among Russian units close to Ukraine's north-eastern border, and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said it recorded dozens of ceasefire violations on Sunday.