• MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia's President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine has seen an unconstitutional coup and armed seizure of power.
• Putin said Tuesday that while the Ukrainian parliament is legitimate, the acting president is not. He said that fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych is the only legitimate leader of Ukraine.
• It was the first time Putin has spoken publicly since Yanukovych fled Kiev.
• ___
• Kerry to visit Kiev; West ponders sanctions against Moscow for military incursion of Ukraine
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday will be reinforcing Washington's support for the new government in Kiev, as the U.S. and its top allies grapple with whether to slap Moscow with sanctions for its military takeover of Ukraine's strategic Crimea region.
• Kerry left Monday for the Ukrainian capital. The European Union's foreign ministers, meantime, issued a Thursday deadline for Russia President Vladimir Putin to pull back his troops or face a rejection of visa liberalization and economic cooperation negotiations long in the works.
• Western leaders point to huge hits that Russia's natural gas, uranium and coal industries would take if sanctions cut off exports to the EU, its largest customer. Still, Western governments acknowledge that few options exist beyond economic and diplomatic penalties, and critics said Obama administration efforts are too little, and too late, after years of trying to foster friendlier relations with Russia.
• President Barack Obama on Monday described the Russian advance as a violation of international law. He called on Congress to approve an aid package for the new Ukrainian government and repeated earlier threats that the U.S. will take steps to hobble Russia's economy and isolate it diplomatically if Putin does not back down.
• "The strong condemnation that has proceeded from countries around the world indicates the degree to which Russia is on the wrong side of history," Obama said.
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