Moscow, Jumada I 17, 1435, Mar 18, 2014, SPA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders of Crimea and its biggest city Sevastopol signed a treaty Tuesday making the two entities new members of the Russian Federation. The treaty goes into force immediately, but stipulates an interim period until the end of the year to formalize the accession of the 84th and 85th members of the Russian Federation, dpa reported. The signing ceremony in the Kremlin came after an almost hour-long address to lawmakers and governors. Putin stressed that Sunday's referendum in Crimea was fully legal, noting that more than 96 per cent of voters supported accession to Russia, according to official figures. --SPA 19:23 LOCAL TIME 16:23 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1211026