Moscow’s recognition of the independence of the territories of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists would be tantamount to an “unarmed attack”, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned tonight, after addressing Russian officials earlier.
“It would be an impossible situation, a kind of unarmed attack and disarmament, without weapons, of the unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine. “It would be a blow to Ukraine’s national sovereignty,” he told the French National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Duma had earlier approved an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin urging Russia to recognize the independence of the separatist regions that have clashed with the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine for eight years.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov assured that “there is currently no formal decision” on the issue but that the MPs’ request “reflects the views” of Russian citizens.
Le Drian also said that French schools in Kiev were closed and that the families of French diplomats could leave the country if they wished. However, it is not necessary at the moment to move the French embassy to another city, as the US did.
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