Moscow, April 21 (Interfax) - The Kremlin confirmed that the treaty on Wednesday to allow Russia to keep naval bases in Ukraine is due for ratification votes in both countries' parliaments on April 27.
"An agreement to that effect was reached in the course of negotiations between the [Russian and Ukrainian] presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Viktor Yanukovych," Medvedev’s spokeswoman, Natalya Timakova, told reporters.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet has bases in Ukraine’s Crimea region under a 1997 Russian-Ukrainian treaty expiring in 2017. Wednesday’s accord permits the bases to stay on for another 25 years after that and may be extended by five years.
