Ukraine Says Russian Navy Must Get Ready To Leave Crimea -- RIA NovostiKIEV, October 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia should start preparing to withdraw its Black Sea Fleet from bases in the Crimea now, because the process could take up to six years, a Ukrainian diplomat said on Friday. (Russia's Black Sea Fleet - Image gallery)
Under bilateral agreements, Russia's Black Sea Fleet has the use of the Crimean Sevastopol base and other naval facilities until 2017. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko announced in the summer that Ukraine would not extend the lease beyond that date.
"According to our estimates, the pullout and preparation of alternative facilities [for the Black Sea Fleet] may take a while. We expect this process to last five or six years," said Leonid Osavolyuk, director of the First Territorial Department at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
"The Russian leadership must therefore start getting ready to withdraw its fleet as soon as possible," he told a news briefing at the ministry.
Although the agreement foresees a possible extension of the base lease, and Moscow has repeatedly said it wants negotiations on the issue, Ukraine reiterated its position on Thursday that it would not permit an extension of Russia's naval presence in the country after 2017.
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