Politics

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Crimea's prime minister Sergei Aksyonov, center, enters a hall prior the talks in Russian Parliament in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 7, 2014. Valentina Matvienko, speaker for Russia's upper house of parliament says Crimea would be welcome as an "equal subject" in Russia if the region votes to leave Ukraine in an upcoming referendum. Russia's parliament is planning to review a bill as early as next week that would speed up Crimea's integration into Russia. Crimea would be the first territory to officially join Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. (AP Photo/Alexander Shalgin)