President signs law on termination of treaty on friendship with Russia

10.12.2018 16:18

Ukrinform

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed the Law of Ukraine “On Termination of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.”

“The non-renewal of the treaty with Russia should be viewed not as an episode but as part of our strategy for a final break with the colonial past and reorientation towards Europe,” the President emphasized, the press service of the Head of State reports.

The other components of this strategy, the President recalled, are the visa-free regime with the EU and the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, the Tomos on the creation of an autocephalous independent Ukrainian church, the secession from the CIS, the constitutional enshrinement of the policy towards joining NATO and the EU, as well as the creation of powerful, patriotic and professional Ukrainian army, support for the Ukrainian language, own history and strengthening of Ukrainian national identity.

The law stipulates that the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, which was concluded on May 31, 1997 in Kyiv and ratified by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on January 14, 1998, shall be terminated starting from April 1, 2019.

Pursuant to the law’s wording, the termination of the said treaty shall release Ukraine from any obligation regarding its fulfillment and shall not affect the rights, obligations or legal status of Ukraine which arose as a result of the implementation of the specified treaty before its termination, in accordance with Article 70 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

As reported, on December 6, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has passed the Law of Ukraine “On Termination of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.” A total of 277 lawmakers voted in favor of the adoption of this law.

Earlier, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko tabled in the Verkhovna Rada a draft law on the termination of the treaty. The respective bill was registered under No. 0206 on December 3.

On September 17, President Petro Poroshenko enacted the decision of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council of September 6, 2018 to terminate the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and Russia.

The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine was expected to inform Russia by September 30 about the termination of the May 31, 1997 Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.