Germany, France, U.S. agree on a response to Putin's decision

INA - SOURCES 

Germany, France and the United States have agreed to respond to Russia's decision to recognise two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's spokesman said in a statement on Monday.

The spokesman did not say what sanctions the western allies would impose on Russia. He said Scholz had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden after an earlier speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

"The partners were united in their determination not to ease up their commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity," Scholz's spokesman said in a statement.

After the conclusion of the speech, state television showed Putin signing documents to recognise the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.