“I deem it necessary to make a decision that should have been made long ago,” Putin said. “I am confident I will have the support of the people of Russia.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday that Russia is set to recognize the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, where separatists have been engaged in low-scale warfare for almost a decade.

The Russian leader ordered troops to descend on eastern Ukraine for “peacekeeping functions” following the declaration.  

“Today, the leadership of the [Donetsk People’s Republic] and [Luhansk People’s Republic] received appeals to recognize their sovereignty in connection with the military aggression of the Ukrainian authorities, massive shelling of the territory of Donbas, as a result of which the civilian population suffers,” the Kremlin said in a press statement. “With all this in mind, the President of Russia said that he intended to sign a corresponding decree in the near future.”

During a lengthy press conference, the Russian president said that it was necessary to make the decision that “should have been made a long time ago.”

“I deem it necessary to make a decision that should have been made a long time ago – to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic,” said Putin.

“I deem it necessary to make a decision that should have been made long ago,” Putin said. “I am confident I will have the support of the people of Russia.”

During the speech, Putin fired a warning shot at the Ukrainian government in Kyiv, demanding that it “immediately cease all military action” against the separatist forces or face “full responsibility” for the consequences of its actions.

The Russian president expressed grievances about the country’s relations with the West following the fall of the USSR, and questioned the historical underpinnings of Ukraine as a nation. Putin blamed Ukrainian politicians and the West for drumming up divisions in the region.

Putin denounced the Maidan revolution of 2014, stating that it had not led the country to the “Western” direction revolutionaries proposed, and had instead resulted in economic failure and “terror” for many of its citizens.

(Click Here)

Putin’s recognition of the two breakaway regions is the latest update amid escalating tensions in the region, with U.S. President Joe Biden repeatedly warning that Russia could invade Ukraine at any moment.

According to the U.S. State Department, some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be amassed near the country’s border with Ukraine. Russia has denied any plans to invade and reiterated demands for the United States and NATO to bar Ukraine from joining the military alliance.

The Russian president said he believed the West would impose sanctions on Russia regardless of what comes next.

“A pretext for the next sanctions attack will always be found. Or fabricated. There is one goal to contain the development of Russia,” he said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Putin’s recognition of the two territories as independent, stating that “this decision represents a complete rejection of Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements, directly contradicts Russia’s claimed commitment to diplomacy, and is a clear attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,”

Blinken described the move as a “flagrant disrespect for international law and norms,” and repeated an earlier announcement of U.S. President Joe Biden’s earlier announcement to sign an executive order authorizing limited sanctions in the region Putin declared independent. (Click Here)

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the E.U. Commission, slammed Putin’s decision to recognize the two breakaway states, calling it a “blatant violation of international law, the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the #Minsk agreements.” (Click Here)

In a statement, the European Commission said it will react to Putin’s announcement with sanctions “against those involved in this illegal act,” ABC News reported.

“This is plainly in breach of international law — it’s a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine. … It is a repudiation of the Minsk process and the Minsk Agreements,” said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“I think it’s a very ill omen and a very dark sign,” Johnson said, describing it as “yet another indication that things are moving in the wrong direction in Ukraine.”

Johnson’s statements were supported by France’s Emmanuel Macron, who described the move as a violation of Russia’s “commitments and undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty,” and called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and European sanction. (Click Here)

(Source)

Have you received Salvation from Jesus the Messiah? Time is running out. Jesus will return very soon. The signs of His return are everywhere in this crazy world we are living in. Please read below so that you can be saved. Jesus is the only way to Heaven. The Words below are directly from the Bible, so you can trust them.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all )is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. IF YOU KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (John 15:9)

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

For those of us who persevere and do what Jesus says to do, we have this to look forward to in eternity: And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

The Bible – New King James Version, NKJV