Blinken: Kremlin’s recognition of Donetsk, Luhansk requires swift, firm response

US State Secretary Antony Blinken says that Russia’s recognition of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as independent requires a swift and firm response. 

“We will take appropriate steps in coordination with partners,” Blinken tweeted shortly after the Russian president announced the move late yesterday. 

The two regions in Eastern Ukraine  have been occupied by pro-Russian separatists since 2014. 

The Georgian top officials strongly condemned the move, saying that Russia is repeating what it did in Georgia in 2008.