INTERNATIONAL: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said on Tuesday,February 22, that the Minsk peace agreement on Ukraine no longer existed and that there was nothing left to fulfill, but he blamed Kyiv instead of Moscow for killing it off.

He has made the comments at a news conference in Moscow on Wednesday, after he formally recognised two separatist republics in eastern Ukraine as an independent.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin has said the Minsk agreements were killed long before the recognition of the people's republics of Donbass. And not by Russia,not by representatives of these republics, but by the current Kyiv authorities.

The Russian president has stated that within what borders will Russia recognise these republics? But they have recognised them, which means they have recognised their fundamental documents, including the constitution. And the constitution spells out the borders within the Donetsk and Luhansk regions when they were part of Ukraine. But Russia expects, and Putin wants to emphasise is that all controversial issues will be resolved during the negotiations between the Kyiv authorities and the leadership of the two republics.

He has added, regarding the use of armed forces abroad , Russia has signed agreements on Tuesday, and in these agreements, both with the Donetsk People's Republic and with the Luhansk People's Republic, there are corresponding paragraphs that say we Russian government will provide these republics with appropriate military assistance. Regarding the conflict there, with this decision, Russia has made it clear that, if necessary, they intend to fulfill their obligations.

Putin has also mentioned that the most important point is the known degree of demilitarisation of today's Ukraine since this is the only objectively controlled factor that can be observed and reacted to. Everything else flips from today to tomorrow in either direction.