US Blinken warns Russia against declaring Ukraine breakaway regions independent
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a virtual meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau who is in Ottawa, Canada, at the State Department in Washington, US February 26, 2021
US Secretary of State Blinken on Wednesday criticized the vote by Russia's lower house of parliament asking President Vladimir Putin to recognize two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent, calling it illegal.
Enactment of the resolution would undermine Ukraine's sovereignty, violate international law, call into question Russia's stated commitment to continue to engage in diplomacy and "necessitate a swift and firm response from the United States in full coordination with our Allies and partners," Blinken said in a statement.
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