MOSCOW, March 20 (Reuters) - Russia's State Duma lower house of parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a treaty to annex Crimea from Ukraine, taking the Black Sea peninsula a step closer to joining the Russian Federation.
The Federation Council upper house will hold a similar vote on Friday, completing ratification of a treaty that was signed by President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
. (Reporting By Maria Tsvetkova, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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