Latvia says EU must impose sanctions if Russia moves to recognise breakaway Ukraine regions

The European Union must impose sanctions on Russia if it moves to recognise breakaway Ukrainian regions, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said on Tuesday.

Russia's lower house of parliament voted on Tuesday to ask President Vladimir Putin to recognise two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent, the house speaker said.

"The resolution by the Russian State Duma calling for the recognition of so called Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics as 'sovereign states' is a deplorable (act) and contrary to the international law. If Russia moves in this direction, EU must act and impose sanctions," Rinkevics tweeted.