No harm done to Ukraine-U.S. relations by naval base deal - speaker
29/04/201016:47
KIEV, April 29 (RIA Novosti) - The recent deal extending Russia's use of a naval base in Crimea will not harm the development of Ukraine-U.S. relations, Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said on Thursday.
The deal, signed by the Russian and Ukrainian presidents on April 21, extends the lease on the Russian naval base in the port of Sevastopol for 25 years after the current lease expires in 2017, and may be further extended by another five years.
Lytvyn said after a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Tefft that he did not see any obstacles to the development of Ukraine-U.S. relations after the ratification of the deal by the Supreme Rada.
"It is the sovereign right of a country to plan its own life...The United States has 830 [military] bases around the world and spends $130 billion annually on their upkeep," Lytvyn said.
Ukraine signed the Sevastopol base agreement, which the opposition has called an "act of treason," in exchange for securing a 30% discount for the Russian natural gas supplies.
Former prime minister and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has called the deal with Russia a "shocking trade-off" and another "unconstitutional" move by her rival, President Viktor Yanukovych, who has vowed to turn a "new page" in relations with Russia.
