Russia Rebuffs West for Sanctions over Ukraine

After an hour on the phone with President Obama today, Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted that Ukraine's new authorities are "absolutely illegitimate" and that Russia "cannot ignore calls for help" from Russian speakers in Crimea. Ukrainian border guards say 30,000 Russian troops are now in Crimea, compared to 11,000 normally stationed there. Andrew Kuchins is Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.