*For the first time, Putin acknowledged that the well-armed soldiers in unmarked uniforms who took over Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula were Russian. He seemed annoyed, however, by the widespread description of them as “little green men” and asked people to avoid the term. He said the troops — who he claimed acted “politely, but resolutely and professionally” — were needed to lay the ground for the referendum that led to Crimea joining Russia. Putin said the annexation of Crimea was necessary to counter what he said was NATO’s intention to make Ukraine a member…While recognizing the “little green men” in Crimea, Putin rejected claims that Russian special forces were operating in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian militias have been seizing government offices and fomenting unrest. But he described the region as Novorossiya, or New Russia…* What did Putin have to say about President Obama and the United States? The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

*Read more here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=304039624