EU approves Russian sanctions as NATO warns of ‘full-scale attack on Ukraine.

Moscow: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday (AEDT) the alliance believed Russia is still planning a big assault on Ukraine following Moscow’s recognition of two separatist regions in the former Soviet republic’s east.

He spoke as the West took more measures to try to discourage Russia from going on the offensive in Ukraine, with Germany putting the brakes on a new gas pipeline and Britain hitting Russian banks with sanctions.

“Every indication is that Russia is continuing to plan for a full-scale attack of Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said in Brussels. “We continue to call on Russia to step back ... it’s never too late not to attack.”

Russia’s parliament approved treaties with the two regions a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was recognising the independence of the two enclaves in eastern Ukraine, which adjoin Russia and have been controlled by Russian-backed fighters since 2014.

Putin said the territory covered the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, not merely the parts currently controlled by separatists. The move appeared to increase the likelihood of conflict.

He also signed a decree on deploying Russian forces there, and on Tuesday Russia’s upper house of parliament formally granted his request to use troops abroad with immediate effect.

A deputy defence minister asked the chamber to deploy troops in Donbass - an umbrella term for the two regions.

The prospect of a disruption to energy supplies and fears of war - stoked by reports of shelling in some areas and movements of unmarked tanks overnight in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk - rattled international financial markets and sent oil prices surging to their highest level since 2014.

The European Union is ready to take further action against Russia if Moscow keeps on ramping up its military activity in Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday (AEDT).

She spoke shortly after the EU’s foreign ministers agreed to sanction 27 Russians and entities after Moscow recognised two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, as well as banks, the defence sector and limiting Russian access to European capital markets.

“Our action today is a response to Russia’s aggressive behavior”, von der Leyen said during a press conference.

“If Russia continues to escalate this crisis that it has created, we are ready to take further action in response”, she added, also stressing the need for the EU to be less dependent on Russia for gas.

In Donetsk, some residents celebrated, with cars flying Russian flags and sounding their horns. But several blasts were heard in the city on Tuesday, and some people questioned whether Putin’s moves would bring peace.

Germany is Russia’s biggest customer for natural gas, and the decision by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to freeze the Nord Stream 2 pipeline - built but awaiting approval - was widely seen as one of the strongest measures Europe could take.

Scholz said he had asked his economy ministry to take steps to ensure that certification could not take place for now.

“This is a morally, politically and practically correct step in the current circumstances,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. “True leadership means tough decisions in difficult times. Germany’s move proves just that.”

Matadors in the Mexican capital, home to the largest bullring on the planet, are fighting to prevent a ban on a practice brought by the Spanish conquistadors five centuries ago.

Although the debate is not new, in December, an animal welfare commission in Mexico City’s legislature approved a proposal to prohibit the tradition in the city of around nine million people.

The push has left bullfighting – and the multimillion-dollar industry surrounding it – facing an uncertain future after the season ended on Sunday.

No date has yet been set for a vote by Mexico City lawmakers on the issue, after the commission opted to open a dialogue with people who would be affected.