A game with no winners

Moves of Russia and US-led West on Crimea point to regional tension that should be settled by negotiations

Ukraine's Crimea region held a referendum on Sunday offering voters the choice between becoming a constituent part of the Russian Federation or remaining part of Ukraine. With the overwhelming majority of those who voted in favor of joining Russia, Crimea's parliament formally applied to join Russia on Monday, and Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by signing a decree recognizing Crimea as a sovereign independent state.

The contentious referendum was one of Russia's responses to the dismissal of the former Ukrainian president Victor Yanukovich and the overthrow of his government. The unexpected suspension of the proposed Association Agreement and free trade deal with the European Union by the Yanukovich administration in November provoked anti-government protests that eventually resulted in his ousting as president. A new interim government took power and indicated it would continue to pursue the integration process with the EU, which is in conflict with Putin's Eurasian Union ambition. Under the permission of the Russian State Duma, Russian troops entered Crimea and seized key installations and government buildings. Two weeks later, the Crimean parliament declared independence and decided to hold the referendum.