new york times: Assailing U.S. and Kiev, Putin Keeps Open Option of Force

MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia broke his silence over the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday for the first time since it boiled over into a possible armed confrontation, asserting that he saw no reason for Russian forces to intervene in eastern Ukraine at the moment but leaving open the possibility of military action, saying that Russia “reserves the right to use all means at our disposal to protect” Russian speakers in the country’s south and east if they are in danger. [more...]