Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Russia’s decision to recognize independence from breakaway regions had ruined peace efforts and that Ukrainians could sever diplomatic ties with the Russians. Zelenskiy also called for Western sanctions against Vladimir Putin.
“We have an escalation of threats to Ukraine. It’s terrible not just for Ukraine, but for the whole world. It is in Ukraine that the future of Europe’s security is being decided today,” Zelenskiy said during a meeting with Estonian President Alar Karis. “We agree on the need for urgent sanctions because it is another act of aggression against Ukraine. [Essas sanções] must include the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline”.
Russia is responsible for 1/3 of the gas consumed in Europe. Germany is at the center of pressure over a 1,200-kilometer gas pipeline (Nord Stream 2) that was completed in September in an $11 billion mega-project.
The United States and the United Kingdom have already announced that they will introduce sanctions against the Russians. In the early hours of Tuesday (22), Japan also said that it “is ready” to join the US and other G7 nations in the application of sanctions. The European Union is due to decide on the use of sanctions at a meeting of European foreign ministers later on Tuesday.
“Calm”
Zelenskiy played down the prospect of a full-scale conflict with Russia, but said he was prepared to introduce martial law if that happened. “We believe there will be no war against Ukraine and there will be no large scale,” he declared.
Estonia’s president called for calm in the region. “We continue to support Ukraine in every way possible. I ask Ukrainian leaders to remain calm and demonstrate a desire to resolve peacefully. Russia has been teasing in recent days. Moscow should withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory.”
understand the conflict
After months of military escalation and intemperance on the Ukrainian border, Russia is increasing pressure on its former Soviet neighbor, threatening to destabilize Europe and involve the United States.
Russia has been tightening its military grip around Ukraine for the past year, amassing tens of thousands of troops, equipment and artillery at the country’s gates. The mobilization prompted warnings from US intelligence officials that a Russian invasion could be imminent.
In recent weeks, diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions have not come to a conclusion. The independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, two Ukrainian separatist areas, was recognized by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday (21).
The escalation in the years-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine has set off the continent’s biggest security crisis since the Cold War, raising the specter of a dangerous confrontation between Western powers and Moscow.
(With information from Eliza Mackintosh,
Photos – The tension at the borders of Ukraine in images
Source: CNN Brasil
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