Putin tells Macron, Scholz he will sign decree on recognition of Ukraine's breakaway regions

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin told German and French leaders on Monday that he will sign a decree about recognition of Ukraine's breakaway regions as independent states.

Putin told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron about the results of his meeting with the Russian Security Council, which unanimously spoke in favor of recognizing Donetsk and Luhansk as sovereign from Ukraine, a Kremlin statement said.

"Today, appeals of the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic came, asking for recognition of their sovereignty in connection with the military aggression of the Ukrainian authorities, massive shelling of the territory of Donbas, leading to the suffering of civilians," the statement added.

In light of the results of the meeting with the security council and the appeals of “Ukrainian rebels,” Putin told Olaf and Macron that he will sign "a relevant decree" soon.

"The President of France and the Federal Chancellor of Germany expressed disappointment with this development. At the same time, they expressed their readiness to continue contacts," it said.

Tensions have risen dramatically in eastern Ukraine, with reports of a growing number of cease-fire violations, multiple shelling incidents, and evacuation of civilians from the pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk

According to the UN, in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, more than 13,000 people have been killed in clashes between pro-Russian separatists and the Kyiv government since 2014.

Western countries have accused Russia of amassing more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine, prompting fears that it could be planning a military offensive against its ex-Soviet neighbor.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any plan to invade Ukraine and instead accused Western countries of undermining Russia's security through NATO's expansion toward its borders.