The Russian State Duma's call for Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the so-called "DPR" and "LPR" is an "escalatory action" that will complicate the situation in Europe, said Mikhail Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
"Naturally, Russia's withdrawal from the Minsk agreements and any political and legal steps in the interests of the occupation structures should be immediately assessed and responded to by the democratic community. The disrespect shown to the German side as a participant in the Normandy format by the Russian State Duma is also indicative. This decision was voted while Chancellor Scholz was in Moscow. We can only regret that Moscow has gone for this escalatory action, which only complicates the situation in Europe," he said.
In his opinion, "even the very raising of the question in Russia about the recognition of the occupation structures in the ORDLO is a step towards the destruction of the Minsk documents."
"If Russia decided de jure and de facto to withdraw from the Minsk agreements, this only definitively proves that it is the Russian side that is responsible for the lack of substantial progress in the negotiation process to end the war in Donbas," he said.
