Ukrainian MPs ask top court to examine 2010 Black Sea Fleet pact with Russia
The Constitutional Court is asked to declare the Agreement on the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation unconstitutional (Photo:Constitutional Court of Ukraine)
Several dozen Ukrainian MPs have petitioned Ukraine’s Constitutional Court to assess if the 2010 Kharkiv Pact, which extended Russian Black Sea Fleet basing rights in Crimea until 2042, was legal under the Ukrainian Constitution in the first place, the court’s press service announced on March 31.
“The (group of MPs) believes that the contested (Kharkiv) Agreement does not comply with paragraph seven of Article 17 of the Constitution, and also claims that said Agreement is contrary to the principles of ensuring national security,” the message says.
“In addition, MPs note the lack of regulatory framework for signing of an international agreement of this kind. Therefore, in the opinion of (the petition’s signatories), there are grounds for recognizing the Agreement as unconstitutional.”
The petition was signed by MPs from Servant of the People, European Solidarity, and Voice parliamentary parties.
The Kharkiv Pact was Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on April 21, 2010. According to the agreement, the Russian Black Sea Fleet basing rights in Sevastopol, Crimea, was extended from 2017 to 2042, with an automatic extension for 5 years.
The treaty was ratified by Ukrainian and Russian parliaments on April 27, 2010.
Russia unilaterally terminated the treaty on March 31, 2014 – right after illegally occupying and annexing Crimea.
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