克里米亞議會投票贊成加入俄羅斯
Lawmakers in the embattled Ukrainian region of Crimea have voted to join Russia, in a move likely to further escalate tensions.
Thursday's vote by the Moscow-backed Crimean parliament comes as European Union leaders gather for an emergency summit in Brussels to discuss how to pressure Russia to back down from its military incursion into Crimea. U.S. lawmakers are also meeting Thursday to discuss potential economic sanctions against Russia.
The government of Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula with a majority Russian population, said Thursday it is scheduling a referendum on joining Russia for March 16. Russian President Vladimir Putin is being asked to consider the appeal.
The Reuters news agency quotes Ukraine's economy minister ((Pavlo Sheremeta)) as saying the referendum on Crimea's status is "unconstitutional."
Crimea's move to leave Ukraine is likely to shake up efforts toward a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.烏克蘭動盪的克里米亞地區的議會投票贊成加入俄羅斯，這有可能進一步加劇緊張局勢。
受到俄羅斯支持的克里米亞議會星期四舉行投票的同時，歐盟領導人在布魯塞爾舉行緊急峯會，討論如何向俄羅斯施壓，迫使它從克里米亞撤軍。美國國會星期四也開會討論對俄羅斯實施經濟制裁的問題。
位於黑海半島的克里米亞人口的絕大多數是俄羅斯族人，克里米亞政府星期四說，它計劃於3月16號就是否加入俄羅斯舉行全民公決，並要求俄羅斯總統普京考慮這一請求。
路透社援引烏克蘭經濟部長的話說，有關克里米亞地位的全民公決是“違反憲法的”。
克里米亞與烏克蘭分離的動向可能會動搖各方通過外交解決危機的努力。
