Russia will not use its Black Sea Fleet based in Sevastopol in Ukraine for acts of aggression targeting any other countries, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said.
"Let me give a straightforward answer to the following question: Will Russia use its Black Sea Fleet to attack neighboring states? No, it won’t. We are a peaceful country," Medvedev said, answering questions from students of the Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Real guarantees are provided by "the system of international relations – our obligations within the UN, as well as obligations as part of international conventions and the 1975 Helsinki Act," he said.
"It is a scholastic question whether we will neglect international law. Of course, we won’t. It won’t benefit Russia. Russia is a large country, which has numerous interests. It will effect us negatively if we start to differ from the rest of the international community," the Russian president said.
The majority of the Russian population is opposed to a revival of Soviet-era policies, he said.
