Tensions are still very high and no one knows how this stand off will end. Tuesday, a moment when the Ukraine crisis could have turned into war. 300 unarmed Ukrainian troops approach heavily armed Russian soldiers. According to BBC “Russian troops guarding Crimea’s Belbek airbase fired into the air as Ukrainian soldiers previously stationed there marched towards them.”

DESERT NEWS: Accusing the West of encouraging an “unconstitutional coup” in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow reserves the right to use its military to protect Russians there but hopes it doesn’t have to. The Russian leader’s first comments on Ukraine since its fugitive president fled came as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Kiev to meet with Ukraine’s new government. MORE HERE

RUSSIA TODAY: As divisions deepen between the eastern and western regions of Ukraine, the backers of the putsch regime in Kiev portray Russia as a reckless aggressor to absolve their own responsibility for engineering the crisis. MORE HERE

CNN: The tense, high-stakes standoff between Ukraine and Russia continued Tuesday, with both sides insisting they don’t want war but publicly offering little evidence of their willingness to budge. MORE HERE

War of Words on Ukraine

RT’s Anastasia Churkina explores the mainstream media coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, as well as the diplomatic battles at the UN. How much has the Ukrainian situation turned into a war of words, and how is this affecting the crisis?

Putin: Russia reserves the right to use military as last resort

RT “Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to the media about the crisis in Ukraine and the Russian military’s reaction on Tuesday. He said Russia will not go to war with the people of Ukraine, but will use its troops to protect citizens, if radicals with clout in Kiev try to use violence against Ukrainian civilians, particularly ethnic Russians.”

Self-defense forces, Ukrainian troops reach agreement in Crimea

Geopolitical tensions continue to rise between the West and Russia over Ukraine. For much of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, life went back to business-as-usual on Tuesday. The biggest remaining tension is between members of the pro-Russian Crimean self-defense and Ukrainian soldiers. The two groups met Tuesday and negotiated an agreement regarding the safety of Belbek Sevastopol International Airport. RT’s Egor Piskunov updates Ameera David on the latest happenings in Crimea.