SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (AP) – Lawmakers in Crimea declared their intention today to split from Ukraine and join Russia instead, and scheduled a referendum in 10 days for voters to decide the fate of the disputed peninsula.
Russian lawmakers, clearly savouring the action, said that if Crimea votes to become part of Russia, they plan to vote on legislation that would speed up the procedure of making that happen.
The Obama administration slapped new visa restrictions against pro-Russian opponents to the new Ukraine government in Kiev, and cleared the way for upcoming financial sanctions, as the West began punishing Moscow for refusing to withdraw its troops from the strategic region that also houses Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
Ukraine’s prime minister said the Crimean lawmakers’ decision is illegitimate, and a European Union official warned that results of any referendum will not be recognised by the West.
The 100-seat parliament in Crimea, which enjoys a degree of autonomy under current Ukrainian law, voted 78-0, with eight abstentions in favour of joining Russia and for holding the referendum on March 16. Local voters will also be given the choice of deciding to remain part of Ukraine, but with enhanced local powers.
“This is our response to the disorder and lawlessness in Kiev,” said Sergei Shuvainikov, a member of the local Crimean legislature. “We will decide our future ourselves.”
In Moscow, a prominent member of Russia’s parliament, Sergei Mironov, said he has proposed a bill that would simplify the procedure for Crimea to join Russia, the state news agency ITAR-Tass reported. However, another senior lawmaker, Leonid Slutsky, said Russia’s parliament could only consider such a motion after Crimea’s referendum.
A senior Western diplomat said that the EU leaders, meeting in Brussels to discuss their response to Moscow’s move, “will send a clear message that the referendum won’t be recognised”.
The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t allowed to discuss the leaders’ closed-door talks publicly.
On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin said Russia had no intention of annexing Crimea, while insisting its population has the right to determine the region’s status in a referendum. Putin called a meeting of his Security Council today to discuss Ukraine.
