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Last night, Russian President Putin approved the independence of a pro-Russian rebel republic in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
Fighting between pro-Russian forces and Ukrainian government forces continued in the region, and the move opened the way for Russia to openly dispatch troops to the region, further raising concerns about armed conflict.
Reporter Han Se-hyeon reports.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the independence of the self-proclaimed 'Donetsk People's Republic' and 'Lugansk People's Republic', declared by pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine yesterday (21st local time) local time.
"We have the right to take retaliatory measures and have a duty to protect the security of pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass region," Putin said.
He said he was confident that this decision would win the support of the Russian people.
Russia's recognition of the independence of the two republics will allow them to openly send troops to separatist rebels fighting Ukrainian government forces.
This raises concerns that the risk of an all-out armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia has increased.
Earlier, the EU warned Russia not to promote independence and even warned of possible sanctions.
[Rosef Borrell / High Representative for EU Foreign Policy: If there is a merger, there will be sanctions, I will propose those sanctions, and the Ministers will make a decision.]
French President Macron and German Chancellor Schultz also expressed their disappointment, the Kremlin said.
Ukraine has requested the convening of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to address the Russian threat.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleva called for the international community's help, saying, "The UN Security Council must take practical measures to ensure the security of Ukraine."