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What Kyiv and its partners did on 17 February 2022
Summary
A look back at a day of diplomatic alignment, legislative moves and sharpened warnings in the Russo-Ukrainian crisis.
What did Ukraine and its neighbours do on 17 February 2022, as warnings of invasion grew louder? The reports from that day point to a mix of alliance-building, legislative routine and blunt assessments from London.
A warning from London
Senior British officials said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to invade Ukraine, citing changes in the previous 24 hours. The assessment stood in contrast to developments two days earlier, on 15 February 2022, when Putin said diplomatic talks would continue and Russia announced a partial pullback of troops from the border, while exercises would carry on.
The same 15 February also saw the State Duma pass a bill to recognise the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine as independent states. The bill was sent to Putin for final approval.
Kyiv builds its partnerships
On 17 February 2022, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that Ukraine had created a three-way alliance with Poland and the United Kingdom. The announcement showed Kyiv seeking closer security and political ties with two of its partners at a tense moment.
The Verkhovna Rada, meanwhile, adopted a law ratifying the agreement between Ukraine and the European Union and its member states on a common aviation area. Parliament was therefore still processing long-planned legislation tied to Ukraine's relations with the EU while the security picture darkened.
On 16 February 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers had appointed Serhiy Kruk as head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, an appointment that filled a post responsible for emergency response.
Reinforcement on NATO's eastern side
In the Baltic region, Germany deployed 130 troops and 60 armoured personnel carriers to Lithuania. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said the German forces were authorised to defend the country from threats, and more troops were expected later that week.
What the day showed
Taken together, the reports from 17 February 2022 show several tracks running at once. Moscow's public line of continued diplomacy sat alongside the Duma's recognition bill and the British assessment that an invasion had been decided. Kyiv responded with new alignments and continued legislative work, while Berlin's deployment to Lithuania showed allied forces moving closer to the region.
