Russian Parliament Will Back Crimea Split From Ukraine
Russian Upper House Will Support Crimea Referendum Decision, Says Parliamentary Speaker
"If the people of Crimea decide to join Russia in the referendum, we, as the upper house, will certainly support this decision," Valentina Matvienko said at a meeting with Vladimir Konstantinov, his counterpart in the Crimean parliament.
A delegation from the Crimean peninsula were in Moscow to meet parliamentarians who warmly welcomed the guests and signaled their willingness to support the neighboring region.
On Thursday, the Moscow-backed authorities in Crimea, a region where ethnic Russians are the majority, called for the referendum in mid-March to confirm their plan to secede from Ukraine and to make the region part of Russia.
U.S. and European leaders said such a referendum would violate the Ukrainian constitution and international law. The West also warned that financial and political sanctions could be imposed against Russia.
In a phone conversation, Russia's President Vladimir Putin told his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama that the discord over crisis-stricken Ukraine shouldn't harm relations between their two countries.
"These relations should not be sacrificed due to discord over particular though important international problems," the Kremlin said on its website.
Ms. Matvienko hosted an enthusiastic reception for the Crimean delegation and called them "patriots". She has also reiterated Russia's official position…reiterated Friday that the new government in Ukraine isn't legitimate as it was formed as a result of an "anti-constitutional coup."