Moscow: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told the nation that Ukraine is "not afraid of anyone or anything." He spoke during a chaotic day in which Russia appeared to be moving closer to an invasion, with President Vladimir Putin recognising separatist regions of eastern Ukraine and then ordering forces there.
The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting for Monday night, and the US has moved to impose sanctions.
Meanwhile, Russia's decision to recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics (DPR and LPR) is a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and is inconsistent with the principles of the UN Charter, according to a comment by the UN Secretary General's spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
"The Secretary-General is greatly concerned by the decision by the Russian Federation related to the status of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. He calls for the peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, in accordance with the Minsk Agreements, as endorsed by the Security Council in resolution 2202 (2015)," Dujarric said.
"The Secretary-General considers the decision of the Russian Federation to be a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The United Nations, in line with the relevant General Assembly resolutions, remains fully supportive of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed two decrees recognizing "the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR)" and "the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)" as independent and sovereign states.
At a ceremony held in the Kremlin on Monday, Putin also inked the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Russia and the LPR and the DPR respectively with the heads of the two "republics," a Kremlin statement said, Xinhua news agency reported.
