Putin says will continue to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine

Vienna: Despite ordering the revoking of a parliamentary resolution allowing Russian troops to enter Ukraine, Moscow will continue to protect ethnic Russians there if necessary, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.

"We will always protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine, as well as the part of Ukrainian people who ... feel part of the wider Russian world, and we will not only monitor this but also react. I hope that armed forces will not be necessary for this," Putin said in Vienna.