Putin hopes he won't have to use Federation Council permission to send army to Ukraine
MOSCOW. April 17 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes he will not have to use the right to send army units to Ukraine he has been given by the parliament.
"Let me remind you that the Federation Council of Russia has granted the president the right to use the Armed Forces in Ukraine. I very much hope I will not have to use this right and we will manage to resolve all pressing, not to say, critical contemporary problems of Ukraine with political and diplomatic means," Putin said in a Q&A session.
He thinks Russia should do the utmost to help people in eastern Ukraine stand up for their rights.
"We must do everything to help these people defend their rights and make an independent decision about the future. This is what we will be struggling for," the Russian president said.