Live Updates: Ukraine’s President says nation ‘will not give away anything to anyone’

European Council President Charles Michel said early Tuesday that he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and reiterated “the EU’s full solidarity with Ukraine.”

Russia’s recognition of two separatist pro-Moscow regions in Ukraine and its order for troops to enter those areas is “an attack against international law and the rules-based international order,” Michel said in a tweet.

He added that the European Union “firmly and fully supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity.”

In an earlier tweet on Monday, Michel had asserted that the EU and its partners would “react with unity, firmness and determination in solidarity.”

Estonia and Latvia have condemned Russia’s move to recognize pro-Moscow regions of Ukraine and order its troops there.

“Moscow is not serious about diplomacy,” tweeted Estonian President Alar Karis from his official account on Monday.

He warned that Russia was looking for reasons to provoke or justify a war, adding that “Estonia will never accept the illegal decision by Russia to recognize Donetsk and Luhansk regions.”

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas described Russia’s actions as a “grave attack on Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity” in a Facebook post and called for the EU to impose sanctions.

Latvia’s leaders spoke out as well, with President Egils Levits calling Russia’s actions “a gross violation of norms of international law” in a tweet Monday. He, too, called for “immediate sanctions” from the EU against Russia.

A statement from the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared the country’s “unwavering support for Ukraine’s freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Kenya’s ambassador to the UN condemned Russia’s actions at the emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday, highlighting the legacy of imperialism and colonialism in Africa.

He added that while it is understandable for states formed from collapsed empires to yearn for “integration with peoples in neighboring states,” such a yearning must never be “pursued by force.”

“Multiculturalism lies on its deathbed tonight,” he concluded, reiterating Kenya’s support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “deep regret and condemnation” towards Russia after it ordered troops into two separatist pro-Moscow regions in eastern Ukraine on Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou told reporters on Tuesday that Russia’s actions have violated the United Nations Charter and undermined efforts by the international community to seek a peaceful solution to the crisis. 

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again calls on all parties to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo by force or coercion,” she said.

Yet again, the world is hanging on what Russian President Vladimir Putin does next.

But the omens, after his grievance-filled televised vent against Ukraine, the West and the indignities of history on Monday, are very, very dark.

Putin significantly escalated his showdown with the US and its allies, signing decrees recognizing two regions of eastern Ukraine seized by Russian-backed rebels. At the stroke of a pen, Putin sliced off two more pieces of an independent, sovereign nation to add to his seizure of Crimea in 2014.

Moscow said it would send what it called “peacekeepers” to the regions. Its euphemism notwithstanding, US officials fear that the force could be the vanguard of the full invasion mobilization they have predicted for days.

As bad as this latest round of gangster geopolitics is, what unfolds in the coming hours and days will set the world’s course in the years ahead.

What could come next: If Putin were to stop here, it is possible that the Ukraine crisis could be contained, and even give the Russian President an opening to deescalate the situation and desist from a full invasion of the entire country after pocketing new territory in his quest to prevent Ukraine from moving toward the West.

Such a step back — perhaps designed to divide the US from less hawkish allies — might avoid a wider global crisis. In the US, this interim scenario might also spare Americans a damaging new spike in gasoline prices and inflation and allow President Joe Biden to escape another blow to his credibility in a tough midterm election year.

Unfortunately, however, the evidence of Putin’s own furious rhetoric on Monday, the presence of up to 190,000 Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders and most assessments of US leaders and intelligence officials suggest hopes for a limited conflict are wishful thinking.

In his speech from the Kremlin, Putin made clear that he sees Ukraine as indistinguishable from Russia and not an independent entity — hardly an argument that suggests restraint. In fact, his screed came across as a justification for a far larger venture than a limited incursion into the east of the country.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba over the phone on Monday, ahead of Kuleba’s trip to Washington, DC, on Tuesday.

On the call, Blinken “noted our swift response” to Russia’s decision to recognize the pro-Moscow regions in eastern Ukraine, said a statement from State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

The two top officials discussed the measures the US announced Monday, as well as “additional steps,” said the statement.

Kuleba will meet with Blinken in Washington, then head to New York on Wednesday to address the UN General Assembly, according to the Ukrainian foreign minister’s official website.

At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday, the Ukraine ambassador to the UN condemned Russia’s decision to recognize pro-Moscow regions of Ukraine as “illegal and illegitimate.”

“Today the entire membership of the United Nations is under attack,” said Sergiy Kyslytsya. “The internationally recognized borders of Ukraine have been and will remain unchangeable, regardless of any actions and statements by the Russian federation.

What is the Minsk agreement? The 2015 agreement was hammered out in the Belarusian capital in a bid to end what was then a bloody 10-month conflict in eastern Ukraine. It led to a shaky ceasefire, and and the conflict settled into static warfare along the Line of Contact that separates the Ukrainian government and separatist-controlled areas.

The agreements ban heavy weapons near the Line of Contact — but it was never fully implemented and key issues remain unresolved.

Call for UN action: At the Monday meeting, Kyslytsya called for other nations to take action. “It is critical to see now who is our true friend and partner, who is on the side of the UN charter, and who will continue to deter Russia by words only,” he said.

He called for Russia to withdraw its troops from the region and cancel its recognition of the two pro-Moscow regions of Ukraine, before echoing the words spoken earlier in the day by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: “We are on our land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone. We owe nothing to anyone. And we will not give away anything to anyone.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation early on Tuesday saying “we don’t owe anything to anyone, and we will not give away anything to anyone” following Russia’s recent actions.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered what he called “peacekeeping” troops into two pro-Moscow regions of eastern Ukraine, after recognizing their independence. 

Zelensky added that Ukraine’s international borders will “remain as such” despite Russia’s “declarations and threats,” and he said Ukraine counted on the “clear and effective steps” from its international supporters.

He said Ukraine had initiated an emergency meeting with the Normandy Four, which include Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France.

He warned that Putin’s latest move undermined current “peaceful” negotiations and “may mean a one-sided exit of Russian Federation out of the Minsk Agreement and ignoring of Normandy agreement.”

Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine wanted “peace” though had been prepared for a Russian act of aggression for a “long time.”

To Ukrainian citizens, he said Ukraine would deal with the crisis calmly and confidently, and he thanked the entire nation for their cool-headed reaction to the latest developments. He assured citizens there was no reason for a “sleepless night.”

President Joe Biden plans to impose new sanctions on trade and financing in the two pro-Moscow territories in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to recognize as independent on Monday.

In a statement, the White House said Biden would sign an executive order that would “prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by US persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine.”

Putin signed decrees recognizing the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic Monday in a ceremony carried on state television earlier on Monday.

Biden’s executive order will also allow the US to impose sanctions on anyone operating in those areas. And the White House said it would “soon announce additional measures related to today’s blatant violation of Russia’s international commitments.”

“To be clear: these measures are separate from and would be in addition to the swift and severe economic measures we have been preparing in coordination with Allies and partners should Russia further invade Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki wrote in a statement.

The US response followed a lengthy speech from Putin Monday attacking both Ukraine and the West and his signing of the decrees recognizing the two controversial separatist-held regions.

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