Russia's acts of violence are intolerable, says Ukrainian president

ANKARA

Acts of violence by Russia cannot be tolerated, Ukraine's president said on Wednesday amid mounting tensions, urging further international sanctions on Moscow.

Moscow has acted in aggression against Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed at a news conference in the capital Kyiv with his Polish and Lithuanian counterparts.

He added that Ukraine expects further international sanctions to be imposed against Moscow, especially from Western countries.

Underlining the value of Lithuanian and Polish support for Ukraine, he said help from any country in the world would be treasured by Kyiv.

He also thanked Western countries for their backing, so far.

Rising tensions

In 2014, after invading Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, Moscow began to support separatist forces in eastern Ukraine against the central government, a policy that it has maintained for the past seven years. The conflict has taken more than 13,000 lives, according to the UN.

Putin's latest moves follow Russia amassing some 100,000 troops and heavy equipment in and around its neighbor, with the US and Western countries accusing it of setting the stage for an invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced that Moscow was recognizing two eastern Ukrainian breakaway regions as “independent” states, followed quickly by an order sending Russian forces there to “maintain peace.” The two regions are not under Ukrainian government control.

Putin was also authorized by Russian lawmakers to use military force outside of Russia, allowing for the deployment of troops.

Russia has denied it is preparing an invasion and instead claims Western countries undermined its security through NATO's expansion towards its borders.

The UK, US, and Canada have also announced sanctions against Russia, and Germany said it will freeze the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which was designed to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany.