'Illegal' Crimean vote condemned

Mark Mardell

The EU and US have joined Ukraine's government in condemning as "illegal" a move by the Crimea region to set up a referendum to endorse joining Russia.

The EU, meeting in Brussels, threatened "serious consequences" if Russia did not act to de-escalate the crisis.

Crimean MPs earlier set a date of 16 March for a vote on the referendum.

Russian troops took de facto control of Crimea, whose population is mostly ethnic Russian, in the wake of the fall of Ukraine's pro-Moscow president.

The Crimean parliament on Thursday said it had decided "to enter into the Russian Federation with the rights of a subject of the Russian Federation".

It said it had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin "to start the procedure".

Before the Brussels summit, some EU members - led by Germany - had indicated they preferred mediation with Russia to try to solve the crisis, rather than any stronger measures.

But correspondents say the Crimean MPs' move has clearly toughened the line taken by the EU.

In press conferences after the talks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy both said the Crimean referendum was contrary to the Ukrainian constitution and therefore illegal.

The EU said it was suspending talks with Moscow on easing travel restrictions on Russians entering the EU.

It said that if Russia did not move to de-escalate the situation quickly, it would "decide on additional measures, such as travel bans, asset freezes and the cancellation of the EU-Russia summit".

Sevastopol Air Base troops face up to Ukrainian pro-Russian protesters in Belbek, 6 March Sevastopol Air Base troops face up to Ukrainian pro-Russian protesters in Belbek 

Russian seamen scuttle the Russian anti-submarine ship Ochakov outside the Crimean town of Myrnyi to block the exit of Ukrainian naval vessels, 6 March Russian seamen scuttle the Russian anti-submarine ship Ochakov outside the Crimean town of Myrnyi to block the exit of Ukrainian naval vessels 

Ukrainian former premier Yulia Tymoshenko in Dublin, 6 March Speaking in Dublin, Ukrainian former premier Yulia Tymoshenko made an emotional appeal for greater European integration 

The EU statement said that "any further steps by the Russian Federation to destabilise the situation in Ukraine would lead to severe and far-reaching consequences... which will include a broad range of economic areas".

US President Barack Obama said the Crimea referendum would "violate the Ukrainian constitution and international law".

He said there was a way to resolve the crisis with Russia through diplomacy but that "if the violation continues, the resolve of the US and its allies will remain firm".

Mr Obama praised the "international unity on display at this moment".

The US had earlier issued visa restrictions on a number of unnamed Ukrainian and Russian officials and individuals "to deny visas to those responsible for, or complicit in, threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine".

UK Prime Minister David Cameron said the situation remained "highly precarious, the slightest miscalculation could see it spiral out of control".

He drew parallels with World War Two, saying: "It matters because we know from our history that turning a blind eye when nations are trampled all over and their independence trashed... that stores up far greater problems for the long run."

Speaking in Dublin, Ukrainian former premier Yulia Tymoshenko made an emotional appeal for greater European integration.

She said: "We are building a European nation - we are doing this and nobody can stop us. We owe this to those who died and to those who are living."

The BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels says it may still be difficult for the EU to agree on tougher sanctions.