Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Western-brokered peace agreements seeking to end a conflict in eastern Ukraine no longer existed, after he recognised the independence of the ex-Soviet country's separatist regions.
"The Minsk agreements do not exist now, we recognised the DNR and LNR," Putin said, using the abbreviations for the separatist regions in Donetsk and Lugansk. He spoke after Russia's upper house of parliament granted him permission to use the Russian army outside Russia.
France accused Putin Tuesday of failing to respect his country's commitments to key international accords, including the 2014 Minsk agreement, which sought a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
"President Putin no longer honours Russia's signature," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said after announcing a unanimous decision by the EU's 27 member states to impose new sanctions on Russia following its recognition of breakaway regions in Ukraine's east.
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