Putin Tells Obama Crimea Vote Fully Legal

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday told U.S. President Barack Obama in telephone talks that the referendum on the Ukrainian region of Crimea joining Russia was "completely in line with the norms of international law," the Kremlin said.

Putin also told the U.S. president that any Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission in Ukraine should cover "all Ukrainian regions" and not just Crimea.

But the two leaders also agreed that "despite the differences..., it is necessary to jointly search for ways of stabilizing the situation in Ukraine," the Kremlin added.

An overwhelming 95.5 percent of Crimeans voted Sunday to become part of Russia in a referendum deemed illegal by the new authorities in Ukraine and most of the international community, exit polls showed.

With 50 percent of ballots counted, referendum commission chairman Mykhaylo Malyshev said 3.5 percent had voted to remain in Ukraine with wider autonomous powers and 1.0 percent were "spoiled ballots."

"This referendum is contrary to Ukraine's constitution, and the international community will not recognize the results of a poll administered under threats of violence and intimidation from a Russian military intervention that violates international law," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.