“From what we have seen over the past 24 hours, it has become very clear that this was never about Ukraine and NATO as such.
President (of Russia Vladimir. -
RT
) Putin made it clear that this concerns the complete subordination of Ukraine to Russia, the restoration of the Russian Empire or, more modestly, spheres of influence, or, even more modestly, the complete neutrality of the countries surrounding Russia, ”RIA Novosti quotes Blinken .
Earlier, US President Joe Biden said that Russia's recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics requires a firm response from the international community.
He also noted that Washington considers Russia's recent actions as the beginning of an invasion of Ukraine.