the russian president Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the Western-backed peace accords in eastern Ukraine they no longer exist, after recognizing the independence of the pro-Russian separatist regions in that area.
“The minsk agreements no longer exist, we recognize the DNR and LNR,” Putin said, using the abbreviations by which the breakaway regions are called in Donetsk and Lugansk. His statement was made after the Russian Senate authorized him to send troops out of Russia.