An agreement on the extension of the Russian...
Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday signed an agreement extending Russian naval presence in the Crimea for 25 years after 2017, when the current lease is due to expire. The document was signed following negotiations between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych.
"The signing of the document by the presidents of Russia and Ukraine on the extension of the Black Sea Fleet presence in Ukraine is an event which undeniably has a significant meaning for the provision of strategic security and stability not only in the Black Sea region, but also in Europe as a whole," Boris Gryzlov, the speaker for the Russian parliament"s lower house, the State Duma, said.
Under the new agreement, the lease on the Sevastopol base may be further extended by another five years after the current agreement expires in 2042.
Gryzlov said that considering the importance of the issue, he immediately spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Lytvyn.