Russia's parliament appears to be set to back plans for a referendum on whether Crimea should become part of Russia.
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The Speaker of Russia's parliament said the Duma will respect the "historic choice" of Crimeans - when they vote in the referendum later this month.
President Obama has urged Vladimir Putin to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.
The White House says the two leaders spoke for an hour on the phone yesterday afternoon.
The EU has denounced the plans for a referendum - saying the referendum would be unconstitutional.
Former adviser to George W Bush and Professor of diplomacy and international politics at Harvard University, George Burns says the international community's approach is right:
