LIVE. Putin orders Russian army "to maintain peace" in Donetsk and Luhansk – Johnson: Ukraine invasion could begin in hours

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is escalating. Several signs point in this direction: • Russia has further exacerbated the conflict yesterday with the recognition of the renegade Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent people’s republics. That is a violation of the Minsk agreements for the peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Putin also announced a “peace mission” in the region. • The Kremlin has said it has no interest in a summit between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. • Although Russia claims it has withdrawn some of its troops along its borders with Ukraine, neither Ukraine, the US, nor NATO see any sign of this. On the contrary. Follow the latest developments regarding the impending escalation between Russia and Ukraine in our live blog.

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