After the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, recognized the rebel regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent, the president ordered through signed decrees the sending of Russian forces to “maintain peace” in both territories.
According to the documents, the Russian military will arrive in the rebel regions with the intention of “guaranteeing peace” until the signing of agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual aid between the two territories located to the east of Ukraine and Moscow.
This decision comes after the Russian president decided on Monday to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk in a long televised address to the country, after receiving a request from the respective rebel leaders, and after the “Duma”, which is the Lower House of the Russian Parliament, sent the past 16 February a resolution to ask him to make that decision, The Associated Press noted.
The decrees signed this Monday by the Russian president established the beginning of consultations between Moscow and the recognized republics to initiate diplomatic relations, and their resolutions entered into force from the moment of their publication.
“I consider it necessary to make a decision that has been taking its own weight for a long time: to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic“Putin pointed out in his speech.
During his speech, he maintained that the situation in Donbas, where pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian Army have clashed since 1200, has been “critical and serious”, as it has claimed the lives of some 14,000 pe people.
The texts of the Bilateral agreements between Russia and the Donetsk and Luhanks territories highlight the protection of their borders jointly with Russia, as well as the possibility of using military bases and military infrastructure.
The agreements are expected to last 10 years, but with the possibility of automatic renewal.
As a reaction to the recognition of these regions, the United States, with the support of Kiev and the rest of its allies, promoted the promise of new sanctions should Russia complete an invasion of Ukrainian territory.