White House described Russia’s deployment of troop as “invasion”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into two rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine, after recognising them as independent states.
Russia said the troops have not yet been deployed but will be “peacekeeping” in the regions.
Putin signed decrees late Monday recognizing the two Russia-backed separatist territories in Ukraine and hinted at the possibility of a wider military campaign and laid claim to all of Ukraine as a country “created by Russia”.
Earlier Monday, Putin signed the decree stating Moscow now recognizes the “independence” of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DPR) and the “Luhansk People’s Republic” (LPR).
Reaction
Several countries condemned the order as a violation of international law at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
The United States accused Russia of creating a pretext for war. The White House principal deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer used the term “invasion” to describe Russia’s deployment of troops into two separatist regions of Ukraine. He called it “the beginning of an invasion” and said that “you are already seeing the beginning of our response that we have said will be swift and severe,” he continued.
The U.S. and its European allies have began imposing sanctions against Russia. Germany halted the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, designed to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany. The $11 billion gas pipeline has been described as the Europe’s most divisive energy project. The U.K. government announced sanctions against five Russian banks and three billionaires with close links to the Kremlin.
