The recognition is “a blatant violation of international law, the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the Minsk agreements. The EU and its partners will react with unity, firmness and with determination in solidarity with Ukraine,” President of EU Council Josep Borrell said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “This 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.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the recognition “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine” and “a repudiation of the Minsk process and the Minsk agreements.”

The White House says US President Joe Biden is to prohibit “new investment, trade, and financing by US persons to, from, or in” the two regions recognized by President Putin.

French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned Putin’s decision, describing it as “clearly a unilateral violation of Russia’s international commitments and an attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty.” He calls for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council as well as the adoption of targeted European sanctions.

Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has said the recognition “is in violation of international law and represents a unilateral breach of the Minsk agreements – which remain the only basis for a settlement of the conflict in Donbas.”