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EU foreign ministers are due to discuss further sanctions against Russia after a Moscow-backed
referendum in Crimea backed a split from Ukraine. The 28-member bloc is considering a visa ban
and an asset freeze against a number of Russian officials.
More than 95% of Crimean voters backed joining Russia, local officials said. Moscow says
it will accept the result. The EU and US say the vote is illegal in Crimea,
where pro-Russian forces took control in February. US President Barack Obama has warned Moscow
that Washington is also ready to impose "costs" over its actions in Ukraine.
The new authorities in Kiev say Russian troops moved in to Crimea after Ukraine's pro-Moscow
president, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted following months of street protests.
The Kremlin officially denies deploying its troops in Crimea, describing the armed men
without insignia as "Crimea's self-defence forces".
'Weak hand' The EU foreign ministers are expected to gather
in Brussels at 08:30 GMT. The bloc has already suspended talks on an
economic pact with Russia and an easing of visa restrictions.
The ministers will now be toughening the measures by discussing a list of names of those who
could be subject to an asset freeze and a visa ban.
However, the question remains whether it should just be the list of people related to the
takeover in Crimea or should it target the inner circle around Russian President Vladimir
Putin, the BBC's Europe editor Gavin Hewitt says.
He adds that - not surprisingly - there are divisions among the 28 nations.
One official said bluntly if you did not go after people in Moscow you were showing a
weak hand. Others argued that Brussels could not impose bans on people it would be sooner
or later have to negotiate with. If an asset freeze and visa ban does not rattle
Moscow or Russia makes further military moves into eastern Ukraine - then the EU has already
warned of moving to another stage which would involve economic sanctions.
Earlier, the EU said in a statement that the vote was "illegal and illegitimate and its
outcome will not be recognised".