Timeline: Development of situation in Ukraine

KIEV, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Tensions along the Russia-Ukraine borders continue to escalate as Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed two decrees recognizing "the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR)" and "the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)" as independent and sovereign states.

The latest actions of Russia were "a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said early Tuesday in a video address to the nation published on Facebook.

Gloomy signs of a potential military conflict are stoking increasing concerns and mounting fears around the world. Here is a timeline of some major events related to the current crisis:

Feb. 21, 2022

-- The Russian Security Council held an extraordinary meeting, when the country's top officials supported the recognition of the two "republics."

-- Putin signed two decrees recognizing the LPR and the DPR as independent and sovereign states.

At a ceremony held in the Kremlin, Putin also inked the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Russia and the LPR and the DPR respectively with the heads of the two "republics."

-- Through a statement attributable to his spokesperson, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for "peaceful settlement" of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, in accordance with the Minsk Agreements, as endorsed by the Security Council in resolution 2202 (2015).

-- At the Security Council emergency meeting on Ukraine, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, called on all parties concerned to seek "reasonable solutions" to the Ukraine issue.

Feb. 18, 2022

-- An explosion occurred close to "DPR government building." Local armed groups in eastern Ukraine ordered the evacuation of civilians to Russia, citing the danger of a possible military offensive.

Feb. 17, 2022

-- The Ukrainian military claimed that local armed groups in eastern Ukraine launched shelling on the area controlled by government forces. Local armed groups in eastern Ukraine accused the Ukrainian government forces of first using heavy weapons to attack areas under their control. Tensions in eastern Ukraine continue to escalate.

Feb. 2, 2022

-- The United States decided to deploy additional troops to Europe, including 1,000 troops to be repositioned to Romania and another 2,000 troops to be sent from the United States to Germany and Poland, in preparation for what it claimed to be an "imminent" Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Jan. 26, 2022

-- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States has delivered a written letter to Russia addressing Moscow's concerns amid escalating tensions on Ukraine's border.

Jan. 22, 2022

-- The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said the first shipment of military aid from the United States arrived in Kiev.

Jan. 10-13, 2022

-- The latest round of talks aimed at defusing tensions between Russia and the West within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ended without a breakthrough as both sides warned of potential escalation.

Dec. 10, 2021

-- The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded "legal guarantees" that NATO wouldn't expand eastward.

Feb. 7, 2019

-- The Ukrainian parliament passed a constitutional amendment stating Ukraine's commitment to joining NATO.

Feb. 12, 2015

-- The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France announced a peace deal in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, which envisaged a ceasefire between Ukrainian government troops and local armed groups in eastern Ukraine.

Dec. 23, 2014

-- The Ukrainian parliament renounced Ukraine's "non-aligned" status with the aim of deepening cooperation with NATO.

Sept. 5, 2014

-- Then Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and local armed groups in eastern Ukraine signed a ceasefire protocol in Minsk, where envoys from the two warring sides as well as Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held talks for a possible political solution to the crisis.

April 2014

-- Unrest erupted in eastern Ukraine, where protesters seized government buildings, demanding a referendum on autonomy and closer ties with Russia.

February 2014

-- Amid rising protests, Ukraine's parliament voted to dismiss then President Viktor Yanukovych and set early elections.

November 2013

-- The Ukrainian government suspended the signing of partnership agreements with the European Union (EU) to avoid straining ties with Russia, triggering widespread protests, which soon snowballed into a violent nationwide movement against the authorities.