Russia attacks Ukraine

The heads of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), two separatist regions in Ukraine, recently recognized by Russia as independent, have formally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for help repelling the aggression of Ukrainian Armed Forces, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti on Wednesday.

According to Peskov, the appeal said: “Kyiv continues to build up its military presence on the line of contact, while receiving comprehensive support, including military support, from the United States and other Western states. The Kyiv regime is focused on resolving the conflict by force.”

“Given the foregoing, the heads of the two republics, in connection with the current situation, as well as in order to prevent civilian casualties and a humanitarian catastrophe, on the basis of Articles 3 and 4 of the treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between the Russian Federation and the republics, ask the president of Russia to assist in repelling aggression of the armed forces and formations of Ukraine," Peskov added, according to RIA.

The heads of the two separatist regions claimed that citizens were fleeing from the area “due to the aggravation of the situation and threats from Kyiv."

“The actions of the Kyiv regime testify to the unwillingness to end the war in Donbas,” the appeal said, according to Peskov.

Russia's parliament has given consent for the deployment of Russian troops on foreign territory in connection with the Donbas conflict.

The Pentagon believes that “additional Russian military forces are moving into” the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, press secretary John Kirby said during an on-camera briefing at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

CNN reported earlier that Russian troops have moved into the pro-Moscow eastern region of Ukraine that Russia has now recognized as “independent,” according to the prime minister of NATO member Latvia and sources familiar with US intelligence. 

Kirby said the Pentagon could not confirm specifics on the number of Russian troops that have moved into these two regions “what the formations are, what the capabilities are,” but said the Pentagon believes that Russian troops are moving in.

“We can’t confirm with any great specificity the numbers, and what the formations are, what the capabilities are, but we certainly believe that that’s happening,” Kirby said.

Some context: Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the Donetsk and Luhansk separatist regions of Ukraine as independent states on Monday.

The move was met with widespread condemnation from NATO countries and the US.

The small group of US diplomats who have remained in Ukraine are continuing to sleep in Poland and then commute back to Lviv, Ukraine, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that “for security reasons, Department of State personnel currently in Lviv will spend the night in Poland” amid fears of Russian military action in Ukraine.

At the State Department briefing Wednesday, Price said the diplomats “have been spending the night in Poland but they have been regularly, essentially commuting back into Lviv,” a city in the west of Ukraine.

Price said that charge d'affaires Kristina Kvien “has been leading the team back on the ground in Lviv.”

“We have every expectation that they will continue to do so as long as the security environment remains permissive,” he said.

“When they're on the ground in Lviv they're able to undertake emergency consular services to help Americans who may be seeking to leave the country. They are engaging with our Ukrainian partners, and they have important missions that they're able to fulfill in Lviv,” Price continued.

“But regardless of whether they're in Lviv, whether they are in Poland, that in no way changes the commitment we have to our Ukrainian partners, and in no way diminishes the partnership we have with Kyiv,” he said.

The leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), a pro-Moscow region in eastern Ukraine, suggested on Wednesday that the best option for the Donbas region would be if Ukrainian military forces were to withdraw. 

The leader of the so-called DPR laid the blame on the government in Kyiv for the failure of the Minsk agreements.

“It was possible to end the situation in a completely different way, but Ukraine refused to do so,” he said. "Now there are no Minsk agreements, the Donetsk and Luhansk republics are recognized.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into two separatist pro-Moscow regions in eastern Ukraine after recognizing their independence on Monday.

About two-thirds of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain under the control of the Ukrainian government. 

After he gave remarks at the United Nations, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin all assured him that the “United States will stand by Ukraine, whatever happens.”

Biden, Blinken, Austin, and Kuleba all met in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, and the Ukrainian foreign minister spoke to reporters outside the General Assembly chamber after his remarks at the UN in New York City today.

Kuleba said the American leaders also assured him that the United States will continue to provide Ukraine with defensive weapons to build out their military capacity and that they would place more sanctions on Russia. 

He added that he “cannot fully be satisfied” until “the last Russian soldier withdraws from Ukrainian territory.” 

Kuleba also called Russian criticism of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ statements on the conflict “unprecedented” and asserted that in doing so, Russia wants the United Nations to “become obsolete.” 

"Today, Russia openly attacked the secretary-general of the United Nations, and by doing so, it demonstrated that it attacks the United Nations at a whole. And I believe that all member states who share the principles of this organization in good faith, should stand by Ukraine, and should stand by secretary-general,” Kuleba said. “If the United Nations tolerates such an attack, it will be only the United Nations who will suffer the most and…who will end up discredited and un-respected." 

The Ukrainian ambassador said he believes Guterres should continue to lead and that members of the United Nations should consider their “entire toolkit,” particularly those actions that do not require approval of the United Nations Security Council — of which Russia is a permanent member. Kuleba said actions such as increasing humanitarian efforts in the Donbas region could be among the tools the UN utilizes. 

CNN’s Laura Studley contributed reporting to this post.

US President Biden formally announced new sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, a registered Swiss firm whose parent company is the Russian gas giant Gazprom, and its corporate officers.

The President also applauded Germany’s decision Tuesday to halt certification of the pipeline, writing, “Through his actions, President Putin has provided the world with an overwhelming incentive to move away from Russian gas and to other forms of energy. I want to thank Chancellor Scholz for his close partnership and continued dedication to holding Russia accountable for its actions.”

Earlier today, CNN reported that Biden administration was expected to announce that it would allow sanctions to move forward on the company in charge of building Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, after blocking such sanctions last year using a national security waiver.

The Swiss government said on Wednesday that it will ensure the country is not used to get around the sanctions the European Union imposed on Russia. 

Switzerland may adopt compulsory measures to enforce sanctions adopted by the United Nations, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe or the country's main trading partners in order to ensure compliance with international law, in particular respect for human rights, the statement added. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Wednesday, and the two “condemned the Russian Federation’s decision to recognize the so-called ‘independence’ of the purported republics controlled by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine and send Russian troops to these areas as a ‘peacekeeping’ force,” according to a State Department readout.

Russian troops have moved into the eastern region of Ukraine that Russia has now recognized as “independent,” according the prime minister of Latvia — a NATO member — and sources familiar with US intelligence. 

According to the readout, Blinken and Truss also “discussed the extensive bilateral coordination on developing and executing swift and severe economic measures against Russia.”

Multiple countries, including the US and UK, have imposed sanctions on Russia.

US sanctions included the family members of those in Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle.The Biden administration is expected to announce on Wednesday that it will allow sanctions to move forward on the company in charge of building Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, after blocking such sanctions last year using a national security waiver.

The United States ambassador warned the world at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that Russia’s actions in Ukraine could create one of the largest refugee crises facing the world today and that the country’s “aggression” threatens international security and community. 

“If Russia continues down this path, it could – according to our estimates – create a new refugee crisis, one of the largest facing the world today, with as many as five million more people displaced by Russia’s war of choice and putting pressure on Ukraine’s neighbors,” Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

Thomas-Greenfield said that Russian officials have not heeded calls for diplomacy and that calling for de-escalation on both sides of the conflict allows Russia to continue its campaign. 

“Has Russia headed these calls [for diplomacy]? No. Instead, it has responded with additional actions to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty, including mass disinformation, which we just heard again today, cyberattacks, and efforts to create a 'false flag' pretext,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “Colleagues, there is no middle ground. Calling for both sides to deescalate only gives Russia a pass. Russia is the aggressor here.”

Thomas-Greenfield once again said that “Russia’s aggression not only threatens all of Ukraine, but every member state and the UN itself.”

She referenced comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding an “age of empires” and alleged that Putin will use force to “make a farce of the United Nations.”

“The United States rejects that firmly. This is 2022. We're not going back to an era of empires and colonies – or to the USSR or the Soviet Union. We have moved forward,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “Colleagues, now is not the time to sit on the sidelines. Now is the time to get off of the sidelines. Let us show Russia that it is isolated and alone in its aggressive actions. Let us stand fully behind the principles of sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity for Ukraine, and for all member states."

CNN’s Laura Studley contributed reporting to this post.