The agreement to extend the lease on the Russian Black Sea Fleet's base in Ukraine is a landmark document for both countries, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said.
"The Black Sea Fleet acts as a guarantor of security both in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea," Serdyukov said.
The agreement opens up serious opportunities for modernizing the Black Sea Fleet and its entire infrastructure, the minister said.
"We have also received instructions from the president of the Russian Federation to formulate a detailed plan to develop the social infrastructure of Sevastopol and Crimea as a whole," he said.
"The agreement offers us serious opportunities to further promote both military and military-technological cooperation between the armed forces of Ukraine and the Russian Federation," Serdyukov said.
On Tuesday, the Russian and Ukrainian Parliaments simultaneously ratified the two countries’ agreement extending the lease on the Russian naval base in Sevastopol until 2042.
