In Rambling, Conspiracy-Filled Speech, Putin Recognizes Ukraine’s Breakaway Provinces
Western officials previously warned that the move would be a death blow to the 2015 Minsk peace agreement.
In a rambling, almost hourlong speech saturated with conspiracy theories and falsehoods, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country would recognize Ukraine’s breakaway regions in the eastern province of Donbass and aired decadesold grievances against the United States and NATO.
Putin’s decision to recognize the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics marks a significant escalation in tensions between the West and Moscow as almost 200,000 Russian troops amass near Ukraine’s borders.
The speech marks a significant setback in diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis, as Western officials have warned that a Russian recognition of the breakaway provinces would spell an end to a fragile 2015 peace deal. That deal, known as the Minsk agreement, offered a road map to end the conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatist fighters and a way for Kyiv to reestablish sovereignty over the region.
In a rambling, almost hourlong speech saturated with conspiracy theories and falsehoods, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country would recognize Ukraine’s breakaway regions in the eastern province of Donbass and aired decadesold grievances against the United States and NATO.
Putin’s decision to recognize the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics marks a significant escalation in tensions between the West and Moscow as almost 200,000 Russian troops amass near Ukraine’s borders.
The speech marks a significant setback in diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis, as Western officials have warned that a Russian recognition of the breakaway provinces would spell an end to a fragile 2015 peace deal. That deal, known as the Minsk agreement, offered a road map to end the conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatist fighters and a way for Kyiv to reestablish sovereignty over the region.
Top Western officials were swift to condemn Putin’s speech and decision to recognize the breakaway provinces as a clear violation of international law. The European Union announced almost immediately after the speech it would sanction “those involved in this illegal act,” and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the speech as “a very ill omen and a very dark sign” that the crisis will worsen.
In Washington, officials said they had anticipated the move. U.S. President Joe Biden will issue an executive order prohibiting new investment or financing by Americans to the breakaway regions and give authority to sanction any American who invests there, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. The United States is also planning a separate sanctions package, including sanctions that could target Russian banks and the energy sector, that will be triggered in the event of a further Russian military invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. State Department and National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the move “erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk agreements,” blaming Russia for fueling a conflict in eastern Ukraine and trying to create a pretext for war.
During his speech, Putin gave no indication he would back down from aggressive posturing toward Ukraine and doubled down on historic grievances against the West dating back to the dawn of the Cold War and the centuries-old history of the Russian Empire.
“Ukrainians squandered not only everything we gave them during the [Soviet Union] but even everything they inherited from the Russian Empire, even the work created by Catherine the Great,” Putin said.
In a long missive laced with threats, Putin lambasted Ukraine for allegedly squandering its historical ties with Russia while falsely accusing Kyiv of trying to plan a military attack against Russia and obtain nuclear weapons. (Following the breakup of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War, Ukraine became one of only a handful of countries in the world to relinquish its nuclear weapons.)Putin also claimed without evidence that Ukraine had backed Islamist terror groups that killed ethnic Russians during the 2014 uprising against a pro-Kremlin government.
Putin made the speech sitting behind his desk, often leaning back and waving his hands as he outlined his grievances against the government in Kyiv and NATO. Putin’s speech appeared to unravel years of Kremlin grievances about years of U.S. encouragement of NATO’s eastward expansion; instead, it boiled down to the unacceptable fact of an independent Ukraine. In the end, Putin said, the former Soviet republics shouldn’t have left, and an independent Ukraine should not exist. “A steady statehood didn’t occur,” he said. Enhanced with U.S. and NATO weapons, Ukraine could pose a military threat to Russia, he claimed.
“As soon as Ukraine gets [weapons of mass destruction], the situation in Europe will be quite different,” Putin said. The United States, he added, could perpetuate a military strike from Ukrainian territory. “They hold a knife at our throat,” Putin said, though most U.S. troops left Ukraine more than a week ago. “We can’t help but react,” he said.
Ukraine is now a “colony with a puppet government,” Putin said, accusing Western countries of interfering in Kyiv’s politics, adding that leaders who were elected eight years ago had organized terror. “We know them by name and will do everything to punish them,” he added. Foreign Policy previously reported that the United States had obtained intelligence indicating that Russia had made up lists of pro-Western politicians, dissidents, and journalists it planned to kill or imprison as part of an invasion.
As Putin spoke, the U.S. national security establishment in Washington was feverishly working to gin up a response after Putin’s recognition of the breakaway provinces, which Western officials had warned would rip apart the Minsk accords that put forward a path to peace in Ukraine’s east.
Biden met at the White House with top cabinet and national security officials to monitor developments on Russia and Ukraine, a White House official said. Biden warned last week that Putin had made the decision to invade Ukraine in coming days, after Western officials accused Moscow and Russian-backed separatists of manufacturing a new crisis in eastern Ukraine as a pretext for war. Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for 35 minutes following Putin’s speech, according to the White House, and convened a call with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Putin’s speech followed a highly choreographed televised meeting earlier in the day of the country’s top security officials. During that meeting, top Russian officials and heads of intelligence agencies took turns falsely accusing the Ukrainian government of perpetrating a “genocide” against the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine and urging Putin to recognize the breakaway provinces.
Putin’s public posturing marks a setback in Western efforts to defuse the crisis through high-level diplomacy, after Biden had earlier agreed “in principle” to meet with Putin. The White House has yet to announce whether Biden will scrap those plans after Putin’s decision to recognize the breakaway provinces.
Robbie Gramer is a diplomacy and national security reporter at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @RobbieGramer
Jack Detsch is Foreign Policy’s Pentagon and national security reporter. Twitter: @JackDetsch
Amy Mackinnon is a national security and intelligence reporter at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @ak_mack
Read More
Biden: Putin Has Decided to Invade Ukraine
But the United States is still trying to deny Russia a pretext for war.
More from Foreign Policy
Don’t Buy the Xi-Putin Hype
Beijing went out of its way to downplay the summit's significance, revealing a potential wedge for the West.
The Pentagon Wants to Ruin China’s ‘Sputnik Moment’
Microwaves and turbulent air could kill China’s hypersonic missiles on the cheap.
The Gold Medal for Foreign Policy Goes to Germany
Berlin’s approach to the world is far better than its reputation.
Russia and Ukraine Are Trapped in Medieval Myths
A shared past underpins—and worsens—the conflict.
You can support Foreign Policy by becoming a subscriber.
"filled" - Google News
February 22, 2022 at 04:26AM
https://ift.tt/WUldwBf
In Rambling, Conspiracy-Filled Speech, Putin Recognizes Ukraine's Breakaway Provinces - Foreign Policy
"filled" - Google News
https://ift.tt/O5ZVfaI
https://ift.tt/uLmrzg8
Bagikan Berita Ini
Join the Conversation
Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription.
Already a subscriber? .
Subscribe Subscribe
View Comments
Join the Conversation
Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now.
Subscribe Subscribe
Not your account?
View Comments
Join the Conversation
Please follow our comment guidelines, stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs. Comments are closed automatically seven days after articles are published.