The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has registered a draft law “On the termination of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation,” introduced by President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko (№0206).
The draft law provides for the termination of the Treaty, signed on May 31, 1997 in Kyiv and ratified by the Verkhovna Rada on January 14, 1998, from April 1, 2019, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
It is also noted that the termination of the Agreement frees Ukraine from any obligation to fulfill it and does not affect the rights, obligations or legal status of Ukraine arising from the implementation of the named Treaty before its termination, in accordance with Article 70 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of International Treaties.
The explanatory note to the bill states that “the ongoing aggression of the Russian Federation caused significant violations of most of the Treaty’s articles, which Ukraine systematically emphasizes in correspondence with the Russian Federation.”
At the same time, it is noted that a number of significant violations of the Treaty became the subject of claims filed with international judiciary bodies that are now being considered.
Read alsoPoroshenko submits to parliament bill on termination of Treaty of Friendship with Russia
The explanatory note states that today there are no signs of Russia's good faith to eliminate violations and compensate for the damage caused by their illegal actions. Moreover, with its aggressive activities Russia has been constantly aggravating violations of the terms of the Treaty.
UNIAN memo. The Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation was signed by the then Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and his Russian counterpart Boris Yeltsin on May 31, 1997. The document fixed the principle of strategic partnership, the recognition of the inviolability of existing borders, respect for territorial integrity and mutual commitment not to use its territory to harm the security of each other. It automatically renews on each 10th anniversary of its signing, unless one party advises the other of its intention to end the treaty.
After Russia annexed Crimea and unleashed war in Donbas in 2014, there have been repeat appeals in Ukraine to sever the treaty.
On September 6, 2018, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine decided not to extend the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, which is expiring on March 31, 2019.
On September 17, Poroshenko signed a decree enacting the NSDC's decision. On September 21, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry sent Russia a corresponding note.
On September 26, Poroshenko handed the note over to UN Secretary-General António Guterres for distribution as an official document of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council.
On December 3, 2018, the Ukrainian president submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, a bill on the termination of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation (No. 0206).
