
President Vladimir Putin said Russia has recognised the territorial claims of the self-declared separatist republics in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, in a move that could significantly increase the risk of a war between the two countries.
The move came in the face of a wave of new sanctions announced by the United States, United Kingdom and European Union on Tuesday, after Putin recognised the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR, respectively).