Amid the escalation of tensions in Ukraine, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has urged all sides to show restraint and take the political path to resolve the problems,  Tasnim reported.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Tuesday that Iran is closely following the developments in Ukraine.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran calls on all parties to exercise restraint and believes that any action that could further escalate the tensions should be avoided," he said.

The spokesman also urged all parties to opt for resolving issues through dialogue and peaceful means.

He also said that NATO's intervention and provocative measures led by the US “unfortunately made conditions in the region more complicated”.

The Russian president signed a decree recognizing the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine as independent republics, ordering the Russian Defence Ministry to deploy troops to the two regions.

Announcing his recognition, Putin signed treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with Donetsk and Luhansk leaders.

Putin also ordered the Russian Defence Ministry to deploy troops into the two regions to "maintain peace" in a decree issued shortly after they declared their independence from Ukraine.

The decree stated that Russia now had the right to build military bases in these regions and that the task of the troops would be to maintain peace.