Putin issues orders Russian forces to Ukraine

Putin issues orders Russian forces to Ukraine after acknowledging the regions that have split off. 

MOSCOW: The Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to two rebel regions in the eastern region of Ukraine after declaring them independent on Monday. This is accelerating the West’s crisis could lead to the possibility of a significant conflict.

A Reuters witness saw tanks and other military hardware moving through the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk after Putin formally recognized the breakaway regions and ordered the deployment of Russian forces to “keep the peace.”

According to media reporter reported, around five tanks were spotted in a line near the outskirts of Donetsk and two others in another area of town. However, the logo was not visible at the top of any vehicles.

Putin’s announcement was met with the U.S. and European condemnation and promises of fresh sanctions. 

MORE: Russian troops stationed in Ukraine’s Donbas will not trigger more sanctions, says a U.S. official.

However, it wasn’t clear whether this was the first significant step towards an all-out offensive within Ukraine which Western governments have been warning about for several weeks.

Linda Thomas Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told an emergency session at the Security Council late on Monday that Moscow’s recognition of the region’s eastern region as a breakaway was part of its plan to establish a basis to launch a new invasion into Ukraine.

U.S. diplomatic staff were relocated away from Kyiv to the city of Lviv’s western part of Lviv and were then directed to stay overnight at the Polish border. Poland as the conflict grew more severe.

A top U.S. official said the move to breakaway enclaves does not yet represent a “further assault” that could trigger the most severe sanctions. Russia already had forces in the area. However, a more significant attack could occur anytime.

The Russian official said that a last-minute attempt to arrange an event with Putin with U.S. President Joe Biden was now in doubt.

Biden and spoke about the issue with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, signed an executive order that will stop any U.S. business activity in the regions that are breakaway and ban imports of all goods and services from these areas.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said that these measures were not part of the sanctions that the United States and its allies were preparing if Russia began a massive incursion into Ukraine.

The White House said further sanctions were expected to come out on Tuesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the executive order was “designed to stop Russia from profiting from this flagrant infraction that violates international laws.”

Oil surged to an all-time high of seven years, safe-haven currencies such as the yen soared, and U.S. stock futures plunged while Europe’s eastern flank stood at the edge of war. 

The rouble continued to lose during Putin spoke about the possibility of a slide over 80 dollars. 

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was greeted with a message of solidarity from Biden and Biden, has claimed Russia of destabilizing peace talks and rejected territorial concessions in a speech to the Ukrainian people in the early hours of Tuesday.

Scholz’s spokesperson confirmed that Germany, France, and the United States had agreed to sanctions. British Foreign Minister Liz Truss said Britain would unveil new boycotts on Tuesday.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg accused Russia of “trying to make up an excuse” to launch a new attack. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 from Ukraine in 2014.