{{Russian President Vladimir Putin has informed parliament formally of Crimea’s request to join the country, the first legislative step towards absorbing the peninsula.}}<\/p>\n
Putin, who signed an order on Monday recognising Crimean independence, also approved a draft bill on the accession.<\/p>\n
It comes after a referendum on Sunday in which Crimean officials say 97% of voters backed splitting from Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The EU and US have declared the vote illegal and imposed sanctions.<\/p>\n
Travel bans and asset freezes have been imposed on government officials and other figures in Russia, Crimea and Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Pro-Russian forces have been on the streets of Crimea since late February, though Moscow denies they are under its direct control.<\/p>\n
But the West and the Ukrainian government in Kiev say the referendum – called by Crimea’s pro-Russian parliament in early March – was carried out in haste and under military occupation. <\/p>\n
Voters were asked to choose between joining Russia or having greater autonomy within Ukraine. There was no option for those who wanted the constitutional arrangements to remain unchanged.<\/p>\n
Many among Crimea’s ethnic Ukrainians and Tatars – about a third of the population – had said they would boycott the vote. The election process was widely criticised by Western leaders. <\/p>\n
{{Ratification}}<\/p>\n
Mr Putin is due to address both houses of the Russian parliament in a special session at 15:00 local time (11:00 GMT). A delegation of Crimea’s new leaders is also expected to attend.<\/p>\n
Russian news website Gazeta.ru, quoting sources, says that after the speech, President Putin and the speaker of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, are expected to sign an agreement on Crimea’s “entry into the Russian Federation”.<\/p>\n
Having approved the draft bill, Mr Putin has told MPs “to consider it practical to sign the agreement at the highest level,” Russia’s Interfax news agency reports.<\/p>\n
Once signed, the bill must be approved by the constitutional court and then ratified by parliament. The process is expected to be completed this week.<\/p>\n
Crimea was transferred from Russia to Ukraine while under Soviet rule in 1954 and much of its population is ethnic Russian. Thousands celebrated the results of the referendum on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The peninsula was taken over by pro-Russian forces in late February after Ukraine’s pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia following months of protests.<\/p>\n
While the Kremlin denies the armed men are Russian soldiers, it has conceded that MPs authorised the use of force after a formal plea for help from Mr Yanukovych.<\/p>\n
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