The European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell warned Moscow on Tuesday against recognizing two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent, saying such a move would violate the Minsk agreements signed by Moscow.
"This recognition would be a clear violation of the Minsk agreements," Borrell said, referring to the peace deals signed in the Belarusian capital in September 2014 and February 2015 to try to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
"EU support and commitment to Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders remains unwavering," he added.
"The EU strongly condemns the Russian State Duma's decision to submit a call to (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin to recognize the non-government controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine as independent entities," Borell also tweeted.
Russia's lower house of parliament had voted earlier on Tuesday to ask Putin to recognize the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, in the area known as the Donbass, where separatist forces have been fighting the Ukrainian army since 2014.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also released a statement, condemning the bid. "Ukraine’s standpoint remains unchanged: Russia’s recognition of the so-called 'Donetsk and Luhansk peoples’ republics' will be tantamount to its deliberate withdrawal from the Minsk Agreements," Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in the statement.
"Such a move will cause a serious blow to the politico-diplomatic settlement that Ukraine and its partners have been actively engaged to promote. Recognition of the so-called 'L/DPR' will have no legal implications," it added, using the acronym for Donetsk and Luhansk peoples' republics.
"Russia will not succeed at masking the Russian occupation administration in the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk Regions as "independent entities," or to disguise its own involvement as a party to the armed conflict in Donbas. Instead, if the Russian President supports the ruling of the RF State Duma, it will have much broader, destructive consequences for the international rule of law and the global security architecture. Therefore, Russia has a choice: embark on the path of deescalation and diplomatic dialogue or experience decisive consolidated response by the international community," the ministry also said.
"We call on Moscow to take a constructive stance towards achieving progress in the framework of the existing negotiation formats. Otherwise, Russia will bear full responsibility for ruining the Minsk Agreements and the process of peaceful settlement of the armed conflict."
The conflict is part of a wider crisis, with the United States warning that Russia may attack Ukraine at any time with a force of more than 100,000 troops massed near its borders.
Russia denies any such plan and accuses the West of hysteria.