Ukraine’s foreign ministry announced that it severed diplomatic relations with North Korea after the country recognized the independence of two Moscow-backed separatist regions. “Ukraine today breaks diplomatic relations with DPRK in response to its decision to recognize the so-called ‘independence’ of the temporarily Russian-occupied territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine,” Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, wrote in a tweet. Russian state media TASS reported earlier on Wednesday that North Korea had recognized the independence of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk People’s Republic, citing separatist leader Denis Pushilin. In a separate article, TASS reported that North Korea’s ambassador to Russia presented a document with official recognition. In a statement, Ukraine’s foreign ministry called the move “an attempt by Pyongyang to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” slamming it as “a gross violation of the Constitution of Ukraine, the UN Charter and the fundamental norms and principles of the international law.” (https://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-breaks-diplomatic-relations-north-192703177.html) The foreign ministry said North Korea’s recognition won’t change Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and carries no legal weight.