Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has described as unlikely a scenario in which a “full-blown war” would break out between his country and Russia. However, should “military action against Ukraine and an escalation of the conflict begin,” his government would impose martial law, he revealed in a major address to the nation on Tuesday.
“We believe there will be no war against Ukraine, and there will be no broad escalation on the part of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky announced.
Kiev is calling on Moscow to assist in resolving the conflict through dialogue in any format, the president said. He went on to emphasize that Ukraine had to defend its sovereignty.
Additionally, the president revealed that Kiev was considering severing diplomatic ties with Russia at the request of its Foreign Ministry. He added that he would “now work on this question, and not only this question, but also on our effective measures regarding the escalation on the part of the Russian Federation.”
Zelensky’s remarks follow Moscow’s decision late on Monday to officially recognize the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) as independent states.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was responding to the breakaway republics’ earlier calls for recognition, which were made in the light of what they cited as an imminent Ukrainian invasion. The leaders of the DPR and LPR expressed the hope that establishing official ties with Moscow would avert military disaster in the region.
The region has come dangerously close to an all-out conflict in recent days, the Donbass republics’ leaders warned, citing intensified shelling by the Ukrainian army. And, according to Russia’s federal security service, the FSB, two projectiles allegedly fired by Kiev’s forces even landed in Russian territory on Saturday, though there were no casualties. Ukraine insists its forces did not fire the shells.