EU leaders to discuss Ukraine crisis in extraordinary meeting on Thursday

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - EU leaders will hold an extraordinary summit meeting in Brussels on Thursday as Russia recognized two eastern Ukrainian breakaway regions as independent states.

President of the European Council Charles Michel convened a special meeting of EU leaders to discuss the latest developments on the Ukrainian-Russian border and the bloc’s response to it, his office announced.

“The aggressive actions by the Russian Federation violate international law and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. They also undermine the European security order,” Michel wrote in the invitation letter sent to EU heads of states and governments.

EU's foreign ministers had earlier reached an agreement to impose sanctions against Russia for using aggression against its neighbor Ukraine. The package is expected to get official approval later in the day.

Russian President Vladimir Putin officially recognized Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions as independent states on Monday and signed agreements with their separatist leaders in the Kremlin.

Putin said Russia would send troops to those areas to “maintain peace.” The Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, has also approved the use of armed forces abroad.

The announcements drew widespread global condemnation as violations of the UN Charter and international law, with Western countries vowing to impose harsh new sanctions.

The US, with its European allies, has said Russia is setting the stage to invade Ukraine after having amassed over 100,000 troops and heavy equipment in and around its neighbor.

Russia has denied it is preparing to invade and instead accuses Western countries of undermining its security through NATO’s expansion towards its borders.

Moscow began to support separatist forces in eastern Ukraine against the central government in 2014.​​​​​​​