World leaders condemn Russian decision on Ukraine

PARIS: Western powers reacted swiftly to Monday's decision by Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognise the independence of the two self-proclaimed republics in eastern

Ukraine

, condemning Moscow and calling for sanctions.

Here is a summary of the responses so far:

The leaders of France, Germany and the United States condemned Putin's move as a "clear breach" of the Minsk peace agreements.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden agreed that "this step will not go unanswered", the German chancellery said in a statement published following their conversation.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield heaped scorn on Putin's assertion that the Russian troops would take on a "peacekeeping" role.

"This is nonsense. We know what they really are," she said.

The US envoy said an earlier speech by Putin amounted to a "series of outrageous, false claims" that were aimed at "creating a pretext for war."

UN chief Antonio Guterres said Russia's decision amounted to "a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations".

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was still pressing for a diplomatic settlement earlier Monday, called for targeted European Union sanctions against Moscow.

"He is demanding an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council as well as the adoption of targeted European sanctions," said a statement from his office.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson denounced Putin's decision as "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of the Ukraine".

A "very robust package of sanctions" would be triggered "with the first toecap of a Russian incursion or Russian invasion", he added.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Moscow was breaking the Minsk peace agreements that it signed in 2014.

"With its decision, Russia is breaking all its promises to the world community," she said.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Putin's decision "further undermines Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party.

"Moscow continues to fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine by providing financial and military support to the separatists. It is also trying to stage a pretext to invade Ukraine once again," he added.

Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, the European Union's two most senior figures, posted identical statements on Twitter.

Condemning Putin's move as "a blatant violation of international law", they added: "The EU and its partners will react with unity, firmness and with determination in solidarity with Ukraine."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said there are fears that the Ukraine crisis "could spread in other parts of Europe and the world, especially on the Western Balkans".

Romania's foreign ministry tells all its nationals in Ukraine to "leave the country immediately!"

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that Russia's actions violated "Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and cannot be tolerated."

"If an invasion occurs, we will coordinate a strong response, including sanctions, coordinating with the G7 and the international community while closely monitoring the situation," he said.

India's ambassador to the United Nations urged all sides to show "restraint" in the face of rising tensions.

"The immediate priority is de-escalation of tensions, taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries and aimed towards securing long-term peace and stability in the region and beyond," T.S. Tirumurti said.

Beijing- one of Russia's closest allies- did not take sides, instead calling for all parties to "avoid any action that may fuel tensions".

"The current situation in Ukraine is a result of many complex factors," China's UN ambassador Zhang Jun told the UN security council.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed as "nonsense" Putin's claims that the troops being sent into eastern Ukraine were peacekeepers.

"We cannot have threats of violence being used to seek to advantage nation's positions over others," he said.

"That is not a peaceful world order that would be achieving that. And so it's important that like-minded countries who denounce this sort of behaviour do stick together."