Lawmakers in the Ukrainian province of Crimea have voted to join Russia and to hold a referendum on their decision within 10 days. The move could mark a major escalation of the crisis that exploded last week when Russian forces deployed around Crimea, far beyond the confines of their base there. The vote comes amidst new international pressure on Russia to withdraw from Crimea. NATO says it will suspend cooperation with Russia, including a joint mission destroying Syria’s chemical stockpile. Top diplomats including Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, but the talks broke off without progress. Kerry said the two sides had agreed to keep talking.

Secretary of State John Kerry: “We agreed to continue intense discussions in the coming days with Russia, with Ukrainians, in order to see how we can help normalize the situation, stabilize it and overcome the crisis. And those intentions are intentions that are shared exactly as I have described them between Russia, the United States, the European countries and Ukrainians, who were here. All parties agreed today that it is important to try to resolve these issues through dialogue.”

In an effort to bolster the new Ukrainian government, the European Union has unveiled an aid package worth at least $15 billion.