By RIA Novosti,
Kiev (Ukraine) : Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko has signed a decree to terminate all agreements covering the presence of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in its territory.
According to the decree, the Ukranian cabinet will prepare a draft law by July 20, 2008, for the implementation of the decision.
“The president has instructed the government to make a comprehensive assessment of the consequences of the temporary presence of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine within two months,” the document says.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet currently uses a range of naval facilities in the Crimea under an agreement signed in 1997, under which Ukraine agreed to lease naval facilities to Russia until 2017.
Russia and Ukraine have frequently entered into diplomatic row over the lease of the base. Moscow currently pays Kiev $93 million per year for permission to use the base.