Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Monday evening condemned Russia's decision to recognise the self-proclaimed regions in eastern Ukraine.

“We condemn the recognition the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which constitutes the violation of international law and the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Plenkovic tweeted on Monday evening.

We, together with European partners, express solidarity with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people, he added.

We condemn Russia's recognition of the self-proclaimed regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which is a violation of international law and the territorial integrity of #Ukraine. Together with 🇪🇺 partners, we express our solidarity with @ZelenskyyUa and 🇺🇦 people.

— Andrej Plenković (@AndrejPlenkovic) February 21, 2022

The Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs also condemned the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognise the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities.

The decision violates Ukraine’s territorial integrity, international law, and the Minsk agreements, as well as undermining diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis, the ministry said.

Many western countries and international organisations on Monday strongly slammed Russia’s move to recognise the separatist regions and accused Putin of violating international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty.