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Churkin: Russia’s actions in Crimea in line with Black Sea Fleet agreement

The agreement between Moscow and Kiev on the presence of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine were signed by the presidents of the two countries in Kharkov on April 21, 2010

(Adds quotes, March 01./ITAR-TASS/. All of Russia’s actions in the Crimea are within the framework of the agreement with Ukraine on the Black Sea Fleet base, Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said on Friday, when asked by the media about the presence of Russian troops in the peninsula.

“We have an agreement with Ukraine on the presence of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, and we have been acting within the framework of those agreements,” Churkin said after a discussion of the Ukrainian issue in the UN Security Council on Friday.

Earlier, the United States’ UN envoy Samantha Power and British envoy Mark Lyall Grant expressed concern over what they described as a build-up of Russian troops in the Crimea and urged Moscow to pull out its forces.

The agreement between Moscow and Kiev on the presence of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine were signed by the presidents of the two countries in Kharkov on April 21, 2010.