Russian lawmakers on Tuesday voted to recognize Ukraine's breakaway regions as independent states amid tensions with the West over Moscow's troop buildup.
Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, considered two alternative resolutions on recognition of two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as "sovereign and independent states," the speaker of the house, Vyacheslav Volodin, said.
"Kyiv is not observing the Minsk agreements. Our citizens and compatriots who live in Donbass need our help and support," Volodin wrote on social media.
Under the first, parliament would appeal directly to President Vladimir Putin to recognize the regions as independent.
Volodin, also a member of the pro-Putin ruling United Russia party, said the appeal would be sent to the Kremlin immediately. It was not clear how long the Kremlin would take to review it.
The move by the State Duma, if approved, could further inflame a wider standoff over a Russian military buildup near Ukraine that has fuelled Western fears that Moscow could attack. Russia denies any invasion plans and has accused the West of hysteria.
Recognition of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics could kill off the Minsk peace process in east Ukraine, where a conflict between government forces and Moscow-backed separatists has killed 15,000 people.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters: "If the decision on recognition is taken, Russia will de facto and de jure withdraw from the Minsk agreements with all the attendant consequences."
Russia has issued more than 700,000 passports to residents of eastern Ukraine since separatists seized territory there in 2014 shortly after Russia annexed Crimea, souring relations with Kyiv and the West.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the substance of the appeal, saying that no decision had been made. But he added that the pro-Russian separatist region known as Donbass was a matter of great concern for Russians. He also said that Russia had repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to the Minsk peace process and that it still wanted it to be implemented.
Four-way east Ukraine peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany were held last week but ended without a breakthrough. After the talks, Ukraine said it would not yield to pressure from Moscow to negotiate directly with the separatists, while Russia accused Kyiv of putting forward absurd proposals.
The alternative path, sponsored by deputies in the dominant United Russia party, would first consult the Russian Foreign Ministry – a move seemingly designed to play for time and avoid bringing the issue to a head at a moment when military tensions are high, though Russia says there is still room for diplomacy.
The idea of asking Putin to recognize the breakaway territories was first floated by lawmakers on Jan. 19 but has taken weeks to get onto parliament's agenda, with the Kremlin declining to comment on whether it likes the idea.
Russia earlier today said that some forces deployed near Ukraine were beginning to return to their bases after a buildup of Moscow's army around Ukrainian borders spurred fears of an invasion.