MOSCOW, March 4 (AP): Accusing the West of encouraging an “unconstitutional coup” in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow reserves the right to use its military to protect Russians there but hopes it won’t need to. The Russian leader’s first comments on Ukraine since its fugitive president fled came as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Kiev to meet with Ukraine’s new government.
Putin declared that Western actions were driving Ukraine into anarchy and warned that any sanctions the West places on Russia for its actions there will backfire. “We aren’t going to fight the Ukrainian people,” Putin said, adding that the massive military maneuvers Russia had been doing involving 150,000 troops near Ukraine’s border had been previously planned and were unrelated to the current situation in Ukraine. He ordered the troops back to their bases. The U.S. announced a $1 billion aid package Tuesday in energy subsidies to Ukraine, which faces a looming financial disaster.
“We are going to do our best (to help you). We are going to try very hard,” Kerry said upon arriving in Kiev. “We hope Russia will respect the election that you are going to have.”
