LONDON, February 22. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrey Kelin has been summoned to the UK Foreign Office because of the situation around Ukraine, the Russian diplomatic mission told a TASS correspondent on Tuesday.

"The ambassador left to discuss the situation around Ukraine at the Foreign Office," the Russian diplomat said.

On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the sovereignty of the DPR and LPR (the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics). Subsequent agreements on friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance were signed with their leaders. Putin instructed the Russian Foreign Ministry to establish diplomatic relations with the DPR and LPR, and the Russian Defense Ministry was instructed to ensure the maintenance of peace on their territories.

In light of this, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired an emergency meeting of the Cabinet Office Briefing Room A (COBRA) on Tuesday. Following its results, he promised that London would present a new package of sanctions against Russia on February 22. The new restrictive measures are expected to be announced at 12:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Moscow time).