By Andrius Sytas

VILNIUS (Reuters – Russia should be subject to sanctions immediately after Russia recognized two Ukrainian regions of independence, according to the Baltic States of Estonia and Latvia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the Donetsk-Luhansk areas in eastern Ukraine on Monday as separate entities, bringing the stakes higher in an emergency that the West is afraid could lead to a war.

Unlike Ukraine, the three Baltic countries are members of NATO as well as the European Union.

Edgars Rinkevics, the Latvian foreign minister, tweeted that “the EU must immediately impose sanctions.” (NYSE:

Gabrielius Landsbergis, his Lithuanian counterpart wrote in a Tweet: “I still believe such a path of escalation ought to be met with sanction.”

In a joint statement, Rinkevics and Latvia’s president and prime minister called on the international community “to take the strongest possible measures to stop Russia’s aggression and offer assistance to Ukraine”.

Separately the Estonian president appealed to the European Union for sanctions against what he termed the “gross, unjustified trampling of international law”.

She said Monday that the speaker of Lithuanian parliament would present a motion in parliament to “never acknowledge” any changes of status for the region.

“Recognition of Donetsk & Luhansk separatist ‘republics’ by Russia is an intolerable violation of international law. This also implies unilateral withdrawal from Minsk accords,” said Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania, in reference to the Donbass ceasefire document.

After receiving approval from the U.S. State Department, the Baltic States announced that they would provide Ukraine with U.S. made anti-armour missiles and anti-aircraft rockets on January 21st.

As a sign of solidarity, three foreign ministers representing the Baltic countries are set to travel together to Ukraine this week.