Anton Zverev and Tom Balmforth

MOSCOW, (Reuters) – Russia’s lower house of Parliament voted Tuesday in favor of President Vladimir Putin asking for recognition as independent two Russian-backed separatist regions within eastern Ukraine. Moscow was told by the European Union not to comply.

This approval by the State Duma could reignite tensions over Russian military builds-up near Ukraine. It has fueled Western fears of an attack from Moscow. Russia has denied any plans to invade the West and accused it of creating panic.

The recognition of Donetsk People’s Republics Donetsk or Luhansk could end Minsk’s peace process in east Ukraine. This is where 15,000 have died in conflict between Russian-backed separatists and government forces in Donbass.

“Kyiv does not observe the Minsk Agreements.” Vyacheslav Voodin, the State Duma speaker wrote that our citizens and their compatriots in Donbass needed our assistance and support.

Volodin was a member pro-Putin’s ruling United Russia party. He said that Volodin would send the appeal to the Kremlin right away. It wasn’t clear when the Kremlin would review it.

Dmytro Kuleba was Ukraine’s Foreign Minister. He stated to reporters, “If Russia takes the decision for recognition, Russia will de facto & de jure withdraw from the Minsk accords and all their consequences.”

Putin refused to reveal his plans for responding at a Moscow news conference. Putin said that Russians are sympathetic to residents in the Donbass, but that he wants the problems of these regions to be solved through the Minsk agreements.

The Kremlin leader claimed that Russia considers the treatment of the Donbass ethnic Russians as genocide, using a harsh language Germany’s visiting Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected as “wrong”.

Moscow paints conflict in Ukraine as civil war. But Ukraine and West both claim Russia aids separatists by providing its own ground force, which Moscow strongly denies.

Since 2014, when separatists took territory in eastern Ukraine, Russia issued over 700,000. passports to Ukrainian residents. This was shortly after Russia annexed Crimea. It has strained relations with Kyiv, the West, and Kyiv.

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, declined to discuss the content of the appeal by the parliament. He stated that it had not been decided on. He said that Russia was very concerned about the pro-Russian secessionist area.

He stated that Russia has repeatedly shown its support for the Minsk Peace Process and it is still keen to see it implemented.

Moscow should not recognize the region, according to the EU’s top diplomat. This would be in direct violation of Minsk agreements. However, Brussels stood by Ukraine’s independence as well as its sovereignty.

Russia recognizes the importance of the areas as an option. This is in addition to the many options they have, said Keir Gilles, an associate fellow at Chatham House.

Last week, four-way talks among Ukraine, Russia and France on peace were held, but they did not lead to any breakthrough.

Following the negotiations, Ukraine stated that it will not bow to Moscow’s demands to directly negotiate with separatists. Russia, however, accused Kyiv for making absurd suggestions.