MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday slammed the takeover of power in Ukraine by new authorities who deposed president Viktor Yanukovych as an anti-constitutional and armed seizure of power.

"There can only be one assessment of what happened in Kiev and Ukraine as a whole - this was an anti-constitutional takeover and armed seizure of power," he said on live television in his first comments on the crisis since the ousting of Mr Yanukovych.

Mr Putin also said the use of force in Ukraine is "a choice of last resort".