Moscow, June 24 (RHC) – Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has scrapped plans to send troops into Ukraine, in a move seen to de-escalate the ongoing crisis in the region.

The Russian president asked the upper chamber of parliament on Tuesday to cancel a resolution that would allow him to deploy forces into Ukraine, Russian news agencies quoted Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov as saying.

“In the aim of normalizing the atmosphere and resolving the situation in the eastern regions of Ukraine and also in connection with the start of three-way negotiations on this issue, a request was sent to the Federation Council to cancel the resolution,” Peskov said.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has praised Putin's decision, saying the move marks the “first practical step” towards settling the crisis in the east.

Putin had issued the request for the use of force after the ouster of Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych in February following months of street protests.