President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not rule out the possibility of a complete severing of diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation. He stated this at a joint press conference with his Estonian counterpart Alar Karis.
The head of state specified that he had received a corresponding request from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and added that he would consider it shortly.
The President stressed that at the moment Russia is attacking the territorial integrity of Ukraine. In particular, Zelenskyy called Putin's signing of a decree recognizing the independence of the self-proclaimed LPR and DPR as one of a series of escalatory steps.
We understand that this is legal aggression that provides a fairly solid foundation for a possible escalation from Russia and the militants.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
However, the head of state expressed the view that the current situation will not escalate into a war. Zelenskyy added that if this does happen, martial law will be imposed in Ukraine.
The President also called on Western countries to resort to a complete shutdown of Nord Stream 2.
Europe and the world cannot afford to repeat such tragic mistakes made in Georgia in 2008. We agreed on the need to immediately impose sanctions against Russia for yet another act of aggression against Ukraine. These sanctions should include a complete shutdown of Nord Stream 2.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
How the Kremlin reacted to Zelenskyy's words
According to TASS, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the Russian Federation is always ready for a dialogue with Ukraine, and the severance of diplomatic relations will only worsen the situation. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin Spokesperson, added that Russia recognized the LDPR only within the borders they proclaimed themselves in. In addition, he stressed that he could not yet confirm the information about bringing in the Russian troops into the territory of the self-proclaimed republics. Peskov also stressed that the time of the Minsk agreements issue is no longer on the agenda.
Context. Recall that on the evening of February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the so-called DPR and LPR as independent. One of the paragraphs of both decrees provides for the implementation of peacekeeping functions by Russia on their territory. Putin's decision was widely condemned by the international community. Together with the RF, only Syrian President Bashar al-Assad volunteered to recognize the independence of the LDPR.
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