Kenya condemns Putin’s recognition of pro-Russian separatist regions of Ukraine as independent states

 

Kenya has condemned Russia’s recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine as independent states.

The East African country, serving its second year in the United Nations Security Council, notified the organ on Monday night that the territorial and sovereign integrity of Ukraine had been breached.

“We do not deny that there may be serious security concerns in these regions, but they cannot justify the recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. Not when there are multiple diplomatic tracks available and underway that had the ability to offer peaceful solutions,” said Ambassador Martin Kimani, the Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations.

“Multilateralism lies on its deathbed tonight (Monday), it has been assaulted as it has been by other powerful states in the recent past,” he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed two decrees recognizing the “Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR)” and the “Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR)” as independent and sovereign states.

The move attracted condemnation from various states and international bodies.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia’s move to recognize the two regions as independent “further undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party.”

Ukraine on its part demanded that Russia cancel its recognition of the independence of the “Lugansk People’s Republic” (LPR) and the “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DPR), and return to the negotiating table.

“Ukraine stands for the settlement of the conflict in Donbas on the basis of the Minsk Agreements,” Ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya told an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Monday.