Ukraine moves to end treaties with Russia, Belarus, and CIS: Government submits bills
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal (kmu.gov.ua)
The Ukrainian government has approved draft laws providing for the termination, withdrawal, and denunciation of several international agreements with Russia, Belarus, and within the CIS framework, according to Taras Melnychuk, the government's representative in the Verkhovna Rada - Ukraine's Parliament.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved draft laws providing for the termination, withdrawal, and denunciation of a number of international agreements with Russia, Belarus, and within the CIS framework, according to Taras Melnychuk, the government's representative in the Verkhovna Rada.
The Ukrainian government also proposes terminating the following international agreements:
- An agreement with the Russian Federation on mutual debt settlements for supplied energy resources and fissile materials, dated October 30, 1997;
- An agreement with the Russian Federation on the terms of reserve supplies and payment for Russian natural gas to Ukraine in 2001, dated December 22, 2000;
- An agreement with the Russian Federation on the provision of a state loan to finance the completion of nuclear power plants in Ukraine, dated June 21, 2002;
- A protocol with Belarus on the phased removal of exemptions from the free trade regime, dated May 21, 2004.
In addition, the government proposes that the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) support Ukraine's withdrawal from the following international agreements:
- The agreement on cooperation in the study, exploration, and use of mineral resources, dated March 27, 1997;
- The agreement on measures to prevent and stop the use of false trademarks and geographical indications, dated June 4, 1999;
- The agreement on the procedure for transferring samples of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their precursors, dated October 18, 2011.
It is also proposed to denounce the agreement on general conditions and mechanisms for supporting the development of industrial cooperation among enterprises and sectors of CIS member states, signed on December 23, 1993.
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
The CIS is an international organization established to regulate cooperation between several former Soviet republics. Russia holds a dominant role within the organization, which led Ukraine to begin gradually cutting ties with it after 2014.
However, the process has been lengthy. Nearly a decade later, Ukraine continues to withdraw from various agreements. For example, in January 2023, Ukraine terminated a CIS agreement on judicial cooperation.
