Putin says he has no interest in the rest of Ukraine but stays defiant on Crimea - The Washington Post
▻http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/russias-putin-prepares-to-annex-crimea/2014/03/18/933183b2-654e-45ce-920e-4d18c0ffec73_story.html
MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin declared Tuesday that Russia has no designs on any other parts of Ukraine beyond Crimea. In a speech to a joint session of parliament, which he used to call for the “reunification” of Crimea with Russia, he said that the region has a special role in Russian history that makes it unique.
But he also promised that Russia will do what it must to protect the rights of Russians living abroad — which suggests that he intends to play a role in restive eastern Ukraine, with its large Russian population.