A top official from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) has said he will host a "summit of unrecognized states" in February or March if he can guarantee the security of its participants.
In an interview with the Donetsk-based Oplot-TV, Aleksandr Kofman, the self-styled foreign minister of the Moscow-backed DNR, said talks on the summit have already begun and that he hopes the meeting will result in a "League of New States."
Kofman listed representatives from Spain's Basque region, Belgium's Flanders region, Venice, Italy, and the U.S. state of Texas as potential participants. (There was no mention of Kosovo, which has been recognized by 108 states but notably not by Russia.)
Kofman's interviewer expressed particular interest in Texas, asking if there are "sprouts of support" in the U.S. state.
"There's more than sprouts," he said, adding that those in favor of Texas independence "fully support the Donetsk People's Republic."