The Russian lower house calls on President Vladimir Putin on, the pro-Russian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk in the to recognize Ukraine as independent. This was stated by the President of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, after the vote in Moscow on Wednesday. “Kiev does not comply with the Minsk agreement,” Volodin said, referring to the agreement to pacify eastern Ukraine, which was named after the Belarusian capital. “Our citizens and comrades living in Donbass need our help and support,” he added, referring to the pro-Russian separatist-held region in eastern Ukraine.
Volodin is a member of Putin’s United Russia party. The Duma’s petition will now be forwarded directly to the Kremlin. It was unclear when Putin would react. If Russia were to recognize the two regions, it would further fuel the conflict. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told journalists that such a move would see Russia withdraw from the Minsk Agreement negotiated in 2014 and 2015 with the mediation of Germany and France. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia stands by the agreement and wants to implement it.