February 25, 2022
AP

In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a meeting with top envoys from the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, Vladislav Deinego of the Luhansk People's Republic and Sergei Peresada, of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Russia recognized the regions as independent states and then pointed at their request for military assistance to invade Ukraine. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)