US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba that there is still an opportunity to prevent a "tragic war" and the United States continues to work to prevent an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, TASS reports.

According to Austin, Russia can still avoid war "by conscious choice."

Commenting on the appeal of Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, Austin said that the Russian leader "threatened war" and "attacked the very concept of an independent Ukraine." He stressed that the recognition of the independence of the DPR and LPR "violates international law."

On February 21, Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the sovereignty of the DNR and LNR. Agreements on cooperation and mutual assistance between Russia and the republics were also signed. In this regard, the West announced the introduction of sanctions against Russia.

bbabo.Net