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Severance of diplomatic relations with Ukraine extremely unwelcome — Kremlin

Dmitry PEskov stressed that this scenario would make everything more difficult not only for the states but also for their peoples

© Vladimir Gerdo/TASS

MOSCOW, February 22. /TASS/. The severance of diplomatic relations with Ukraine will only further complicate relations between the two countries and peoples and is extremely unwelcome, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that he had received a request from the foreign ministry to sanction the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia and promised to consider it.

"Naturally, the severance of diplomatic relations would be an extremely unwelcome scenario, which will only make everything still more difficult not only for the states but also for their peoples," he said.

On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR). Treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance were signed with their leaders. Putin instructed the foreign ministry to establish diplomatic relations with the Donbass republics and the defense ministry to ensure peace on their territories.

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