President Vladimir Putin said during a press conference that Russia recognized the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR within the borders of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine.
«We they were recognized. And this means that we recognized all their fundamental documents, including the constitution, and the constitution spells out the borders within the Donetsk and Luhansk regions at the time when they were part of Ukraine. But we expect, and I want to emphasize this, that all controversial issues will be resolved in the course of negotiations between the current Kiev authorities and the leadership of these republics. Unfortunately, at this point in time, we understand that this is impossible, since hostilities continue there, and, moreover, they tend to escalate. But I hope this will be the case in the future,” he stressed.
When asked by a journalist about “how far the troops can go,” Putin replied: “Firstly, I didn’t say that the troops would go there right now, after our meeting with you here. Second. It is generally impossible to predict any specific outline of possible actions. It depends on the specific situation that is developing on the spot, on the ground, as they say.”
The day before, on February 21, Putin announced the recognition of the independence of the DNR and LNR. The next day, the president asked the Federation Council for permission «to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation outside» Russia and received a positive response.