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Ukraine breaks off diplomatic ties with Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrive for a working session at the Elysee Palace, on December 9, 2019, in Paris. (Ian Langsdon/Pool via AP)
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky breaks off Kyiv’s diplomatic relations with Moscow in response to Russia’s invasion of its Western-backed neighbor.
“We broke off diplomatic relations with Russia,” Zelensky says in a video message. It marks the first rupture in ties since Russia and Ukraine became independent countries after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.
