MOSCOW, July 1 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, after Kiev renewed military operations against pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine, that Moscow would continue to defend the interests of ethnic Russians abroad.

He also said in a speech to Russian ambassadors that "everyone in Europe" must work to ensure that the scenarios that have unfolded in Syria, Libya, Iraq and Ukraine - all of which have faced armed uprisings - do not "become contagious". (Reporting By Timothy Heritage)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.