Following two fiery speeches by the Russian President, followed by the US President, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday evening his readiness to end the war.

Zelensky revealed that he is ready to end the war through bilateral talks and with the participation of other leaders.

Earlier today, Zelensky said, Western sanctions against Russia should include the complete closure of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, due to its recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics.

Meanwhile, during a meeting with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Lloyd Austin claimed  America "will continue to work closely with you and remain in lockstep with our allies and partners in trying to find a way to avoid further conflict. Mr. Putin can still avoid a full-blown, tragic war of choice."

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Tuesday federal laws on cooperation and friendship between Russia and the two Donbass republics.

Following the signing ceremony, Putin said that all agreements on Karabakh conflict resolution are fully implemented after his talks with Aliyev, stressing that “Minsk agreements do not exist anymore, we recognized DPR and LPR."

Tensions are soaring between Russia and Ukraine over the Donbass region and Moscow's latest statements recognizing the two Republics. 

The Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) accused Kiev of repeatedly shelling the Donbass region with weapons banned by the Minsk agreements.

Coincidingly, the Speaker of the Russian Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko, announced Tuesday that the Council approved the deployment of Russian troops in Donbass.

Al Mayadeen's delegate to Kiev reported no clear decision regarding how to deal with the Russian deployment decision.