Local residents hold Sovivet flag as members of Cossack militia guard the local parliament building in Simferopol, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 6, 2014. Lawmakers in Crimea declared their intention Thursday 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. AP PHOTO/IVAN SEKRETAREV
SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine鈥擟rimea鈥檚 pro-Russian parliament voted Thursday to have the tense Ukrainian region secede and join Russia, triggering fury in Kiev while the EU warned of harsh sanctions on Moscow if it kept refusing the path of dialogue.
A decision by Crimea鈥檚 local legislative assembly to call a March 16 鈥渞eferendum鈥� in the tense pensinsula on joining the Russian Federation was dismissed as illegitimate by Ukraine鈥檚 interim government, the European Union and the United States.
However, with Russian forces in effective control of Crimea鈥攚hich is home to an ethnic Russian majority鈥攖he secession move ratcheted up the stakes in a crisis that is already Europe鈥檚 worst security emergency in the post-Cold War era.
The pro-West, interim administration in Kiev鈥攂rought to power on the back of three months of protests that claimed nearly 100 lives鈥攊mmediately took steps to disband Crimea鈥檚 parliament. Interim president Oleksandr Turchynov said the Crimea legislators鈥� decision was a 鈥渃rime鈥� inspired by the Kremlin.
US President Barack Obama warned the proposed referendum in Crimea would violate Ukranian sovereignty and international law. He said the US and its allies were united against Russia鈥檚 incursion into Ukraine, but said a diplomatic solution to the standoff remained possible.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, after holding talks in Rome with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, laid the blame for the escalation of the crisis on Russia.
The United States slapped visa bans on Russians and Ukrainians it held responsible for destabilizing both Ukraine and security across Europe as a whole.
EU leaders holding a summit in Brussels took political measures鈥攂ut not economic sanctions鈥攁gainst Russia over its use of force in its western neighbour following the February 22 ouster of Kiev鈥檚 pro-Moscow leadership.
鈥楻ussian aggression鈥�
Ukraine鈥檚 interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk made an impassioned appeal in Brussels for EU states and the United States to rise to his nation鈥檚 defense in the face of what he called an unfolding Russian aggression.
鈥淲e still believe we can solve in peaceful manner but in case of further escalation and military intervention into Ukraine territory by foreign forces, Ukranian government and military will act in accordance with the constitution and laws. We are ready to protect our country,鈥� he said.
Yatsenyuk conceded that Ukraine鈥檚 forces were dwarfed by the Russian army but stressed that his country鈥檚 troops had the 鈥渟pirit鈥� to defend themselves in the face of a Russian threat.
Russian President Vladimir Putin for his part on Thursday chaired an unscheduled meeting of his national Security Council to discuss the latest developments but issued no further comment.
US, EU sanction Russia
The United States ramped up the pressure on the Kremlin by slapping visa bans on Russians and Ukrainians it blames for destabilizing peace and stability both in Ukraine and Europe as a whole.
It was the latest in a series of moves by the US administration to punish Moscow for what the White House denounced as 鈥淩ussia鈥檚 ongoing violation of Ukraine鈥檚 sovereignty and territorial integrity.鈥�
Obama also authorised freezing the assets of officials and individuals involved in ordering Russia鈥檚 military maneuvers in Crimea.
European leaders鈥攕plit between hawkish Eastern European states and big Western European powers that want to limit the damage to their economic relations with Russia because of their reliance on its natural gas鈥攔eiterated a commitment to sign an association accord with Ukraine before it holds snap presidential polls on May 25.
EU president Herman Van Rompuy said the 28-nation bloc 鈥渄ecided that as a matter of priority we will sign (the agreement) very shortly.鈥�
鈥淭his means before the Ukrainian elections of 25 May.鈥�
Ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych鈥檚 decision to ditch the pact in November in favor of closer ties with Russia sparked the initial wave of protests in Kiev that led to his regime鈥檚 downfall and rise of new pro-EU rulers.
The European bloc agreed after about six hours of tense discussions to suspend visa and economic talks with Russia鈥攁 blow for Moscow鈥檚 years-long efforts to win open travel rights for Russians.
EU leaders also adopted a statement demanding that Russia enter into negotiations in the next few days. The talks need to 鈥減roduce results within a limited timeframe,鈥� said the statement.
鈥淚n the absence of such results the European Union will decide on additional measures, such as travel bans, asset freezes and the cancellation of the EU-Russia summit鈥� in June.
Rompuy dubbed the Ukraine crisis as 鈥減erhaps the most serious challenge to security on our continent since the Balkans wars鈥� in the 1990s.
Putin 鈥榳ill scare tourists鈥�
The epicenter of the crisis has been Crimea鈥攁 rugged region seized by Russia in the 18th century and annexed to Ukraine in Soviet times as a 鈥済ift鈥� in 1954.
It has been the home of Russian navies since the 18th century and has in the past two decades enjoyed more autonomy from Kiev than any other part of Ukraine.
Russian forces have surrounded Ukrainian military bases in Crimea since last weekend and on Thursday even scuttled an old warship at the entrance of a lagoon, trapping Ukrainian navy vessels.
Nervous soldiers stood their ground inside besieged Ukrainian bases.
But they also seemed ill-prepared to hold off an all-out Russian assault if it came.
鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely tense and I consider it a miracle that bloodshed has been avoided so far,鈥� the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe鈥檚 Crimean envoy Tim Guldimann said in Kiev after returning from the peninsula.
Guldimann said he cut short his visit after UN special envoy to Crimea Robert Serry was forced to leave on Wednesday upon being confronted by gunmen who said they had orders to take him to the airport.
Serry took the first flight out of the region鈥攖o Istanbul鈥攂ut returned to Kiev on Thursday.
Violent protests have also broken out in cities in mainly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine such as Donetsk, the regional stronghold of the ousted Yanukovych.
The Donetsk regional administration building has been raided repeatedly since Wednesday by pro-Moscow and pro-Kiev crowds. It flew the Ukrainian flag on Thursday evening after the Russian tri-color put up only hours earlier had been taken down.
Putin has condemned the changeover of power in Kiev as 鈥渁n unconstitutional coup鈥� but said a full-scale military intervention in Ukraine would be a 鈥渓ast resort.鈥濃��Lilia Budhurova with Claire Rosemberg in Brussels and Dmitry Zaks in Kiev