DHAKA: 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, BBC reported.

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 as 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 Crimea after Ukraine`s pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted after 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".

BDST: 1142 HRS, MAR 17, 2014