Rada nullifies Russia friendship bill, president to sign

Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, approved a
bill on Dec. 6 to nullify the agreement on friendship, cooperation and partnership
with Russia as of Apr. 1, 2019. The agreement, which took effect in April 1999,
is automatically renewed every ten years and requires executive action to
cancel it. Poroshenko had issued a decree canceling the agreement in September,
after which it was submitted for parliamentary approval “for the final
completion of fulfilling all domestic procedures in halting the
agreement,” Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia told
parliament before the vote.

The bill – submitted by President Poroshenko – was
approved by 277 MPs, more than the 226 votes needed. Poroshenko had issued a
decree canceling the agreement in September. Nullifying the agreement “enables
the defense of Ukraine’s national interests in an appropriate and effective way
in international relations,” the bill’s summary stated.

Zenon Zawada: This
legislation has been more for political theatre than anything else, especially
considering its approval was long overdue as the aggression started in 2014.
Given the poor state of Russian-Ukrainian relations since then, its conditions
could not have been enforced and its violations could not have been punished.
Moreover, trade with Russia will continue in one form or another, as well as
diplomatic relations. If martial law is not renewed, land travel to and from
Russia will renewed as well.

It’s also worth considering that the Presidential
Administration had been against canceling this agreement just months earlier,
arguing that it had some legal value on the international level. But that’s not
the case anymore, indicating that it’s not so weighty after all.