Recognition of Luhansk and Donestsk by Russia
Russia committed to respect and defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine when Ukraine gave up all its nuclear weapons in 1994. https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%203007/Part/volume-3007-I-52241.pdf It is now violating the treaty it signed to persuade Ukraine to give up its nuclear weaponry. It has begun a broad scale attack across Ukraine. Not only is Russia violating the 1994 treaty, so too are the US and Great Britain who committed under the treaty to go to Ukraine’s defense if it was attacked.
The states recognizing the new statelets of Luhansk and Donetsk are: Russia, Belarus, Syria, Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela. All other nations have condemned the Russian actions in taking another large slice of Ukraine’s sovereign territory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_recognition_of_the_Donetsk_People%27s_Republic_and_the_Luhansk_People%27s_Republic China and Iran are somewhere in the muddled middle, unable to side with either Putin or the Western democracies.
Donald Trump described Putin’s actions in invading and sending his troops into Ukraine as “genius”. https://thehill.com/policy/international/595373-trump-on-putin-plan-to-recognize-breakaway-ukraine-regions-this-is His pro-Putin echo chamber includes Tucker Carlson at Fox News, Representative Paul Gosar from Arizona. and Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri.