Pro-Russian Crimeans cheered well into the night outside their regional parliament.

Some waved Russian flags and paraded a giant Russian flag through the streets.

They were celebrating an announcement made a parliament speaker who said that a referendum on whether Crimea should be independent from Ukraine will be held May 25.

That's the same day Ukraine plans to elect a new president to replace Viktor Yanukovich, who was ousted last week following deadly anti-government protests.

Crimea is the only Ukrainian region that has an ethnic Russian majority.

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Russia to join the U.S. in helping Ukraine.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY SAYING:

"This morning, I called Foreign Minister Lavrov and we talked at some length about the transition and the events in Ukraine and the region and I asked, specifically, that Russia work with the United States and with our friends and alli