Putin said that the International Court of Justice, by recognizing Kosovo's right to self-determination, set a precedent that allowed the DPR and LPR to declare sovereignty:
“If this precedent is created, then the republics of Donbass could do the same. And we got the right to recognize them as independent states.
So many states of the world, including our opponents in the West, have done this with respect to Kosovo. Kosovo is recognized by many states...
We did the same with respect to the republics of Donbass. But after we did this, they turned to us with a request to provide them with military assistance in relation to the state that conducts military operations against them.
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