Russia confirms notice on ending the Friendship Treaty
A look back at 26 September 2018 and the Russian acknowledgement of Ukraine's decision not to renew the 1997 agreement.
What did Moscow say when Kyiv told it the Friendship Treaty would not be extended? On 26 September 2018, the question followed a development reported a day earlier, on 25 September 2018: Russia acknowledged that it had been notified of Ukraine's decision not to renew the Russian–Ukrainian Friendship Treaty.
The agreement, also known as the "Big Treaty", was signed in 1997. It fixed the principle of strategic partnership between the two countries, recognised the inviolability of existing borders and affirmed respect for territorial integrity. It also committed each side not to use its territory to harm the security of the other.
The Ukrainian decision came after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014. Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, had signed a decree on 19 September 2018 not to extend the treaty. The acknowledgement from Russia therefore confirmed that the notification had reached Moscow.
The outcome came later. The treaty expired on 31 March 2019.
