Federation Council of Russia approved denunciation of treaty with Ukraine on the use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait
The Treaty was signed by Russia and Ukraine in 2003
The Federation Council of Russia says it has approved the federal law on denunciation of the Treaty on Co-operation in the Use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait at its session held on June 7.
Victor Kress, Member of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, reported on the issue. According to his report, Ukraine has lost its status of a coastal state in relation to the water area of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait with the accession of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions to the Russian Federation. “The Sea of Azov is now an internal sea of the Russian Federation. Therefore, the Treaty is no longer valid,” said Victor Kress adding that Ukraine denounced the Treaty in February 2023.
The Treaty on Co-operation in the Use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait between Russia and Ukraine was signed by Vladimir Putin and Leonid Kuchma in Kerch on 24 December 2003. The document guaranteed free passage for Russian and Ukrainian merchant and naval vessels through the Kerch Strait and free navigation in the Sea of Azov.
