Putin may not immediately exercise authority to use troops in Crimea - official

President Vladimir Putin will not necessarily immediately exercise the authorization to use Russian armed forces in Crimea that he received from the Federation Council on Saturday, a Russian deputy foreign minister said.

"The approval that our president has received doesn't literally mean that this right will be exercised promptly," Grigory Karasin told reporters.

Putin had appointed Karasin as his representative at the Federation Council debate and vote on a request from the president for the go-ahead to the use of Russian troops in Crimea.

Russian Parliament votes to send troops to Ukraine

Russia’s Federation Council on Saturday unanimously authorized President Vladimir Putin to send armed forces into Ukraine. The resolution of the upper house of parliament took effect immediately, according to Federation Council chair Valentina Matviyenko. Read more>>>

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