European foreign ministers are meeting to consider tougher sanctions against Moscow, after nearly 97 per cent of Crimean's voted to join Russia.
The region of Ukraine has now formally applied to join the Russian Federation.
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But Western leaders say the result is illegitimate and the US President Barack Obama says it will never be recognised.
Local officials in Simferopol have already voted on two different measures, to recognise Crimea as an independent state and to seek it's integration with Russia.
