Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov. File photoWASHINGTON Feb. 23 The US has done nothing to persuade Kiev to comply with the Minsk agreements and has encouraged the Ukrainian regime to do nothing, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on Facebook. The US yesterday announced the first sanctions against the Russian Federation due to the escalation around Ukraine — two banks with their numerous subsidiaries, sovereign debt and five «representatives of the elite» of the country. In addition, Americans were banned from trade, investment and financial transactions with the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, whose independence Russia recognized.
"Over the past seven years, the United States has done nothing to convince the Ukrainian government of the need to comply with the Minsk agreements. Instead, Washington encouraged the "regime" Kiev to inaction", Antonov emphasized.
In addition, Antonov noted that instead of forcing Kiev to sit down at the negotiating table with Donetsk and Luhansk, Washington decided to «pump» Ukraine with weapons. />Antonov told how the new anti-Russian sanctions threaten the world The leadership of the DPR and LPR announced the temporary evacuation of citizens to the Rostov region in connection with the threat of Ukraine's invasion. It primarily concerns women, children and the elderly. As stated by the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky will soon order the military to launch an offensive in the Donbass, to implement a plan to invade the DPR and LPR. On Saturday, February 19, the leaders of the DPR and LPR signed decrees on general mobilization, and then turned to the Russian Federation with a request for recognition. On Monday, after an extraordinary large meeting of the Security Council, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the citizens of the Russian Federation and said that he considered it necessary to make a decision immediately to recognize the sovereignty of the LPR and the DPR, since those who embarked on the path of bloodshed, violence and lawlessness did not recognize and do not recognize any other solution to the conflict in the Donbass, except for the military one. Immediately after the address, the President in the Kremlin signed decrees recognizing the LPR and the DPR.