Ukraine, green light for Russia bases in Donbass

Ukraine-Russia crisis, green light for Russian bases in Donbass. The State Duma in Moscow unanimously approved, and with ovation from the deputies, the Treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk presented to Parliament by President Putin after declaring the recognition of the sovereignty of the two entities and signed agreements with the ‘presidents’ of Donetsk and Luhansk, Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik. The treaties now pass to the Federation Council, said the President of the Lower House of Parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin. In the identical treaties for the two ‘republics’ it is specified that the parties “will be guaranteed the right to build, use and improve military infrastructures on each other’s territory”. Russia has recognized the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, ie the territories “within which the leadership of the two Republics exercises authority and jurisdiction”, explained the Foreign Ministry, relaunched by the Ria Novosti agency. The spokesman for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, repeated several times the formula according to which Moscow will recognize the separatist republics “within the borders they have given themselves”. At stake is also the recognition of portions of the territory of the two administrative regions now controlled by Kiev (Mariupol, for example). Peskov declined to specify whether or not Russia will recognize regions that include cities like Mariupol.