Ukraine preparing to terminate 50 more agreements with Russia

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has already terminated 49 agreements with Russia and is currently considering terminating the second package of 50 agreements.

Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said this at a press conference dedicated to the results of Ukrainian diplomacy in 2018, an Ukrinform correspondent said.

"Forty-nine agreements with the Russian Federation have currently been terminated - two interstate agreements, 25 intergovernmental, 19 interagency and three interregional ones. We will follow this track very consistently. Almost 50 more agreements are now being processed – this is the so-called second package," Klimkin said.

He recalled that the Foreign Ministry is reviewing the entire contractual framework with the Russian Federation, doing so without emotions and on the basis of a clear legal analysis.

"Our principle is very simple. We cannot live on the basis of the framework that existed before the war with Russia. We will be clearly guided by the interests of our citizens because we cannot put them at risk. This will be done very consistently and on the basis of a clear strategic approach," Klimkin said.

In this context, he recalled that more than 2.5 million Ukrainians currently stay in Russia, almost 70 political prisoners are held in Russia and occupied Crimea, and Ukrainian sailors had recently been captured in the Kerch Strait.

Klimkin said that Ukraine had consulted with partners regarding the possibility of representing its interests in Russia, but this is a huge amount of work, and no country is yet ready to "even roughly" do the amount of work that is being done by Ukrainian consuls.

"In fact, we have no diplomatic relations with Russia - they have been reduced to the absolute minimum, which is aimed only at protecting our citizens. However, we are looking for a formula, and as soon as we find this formula, we will definitely apply it," the minister said.