Russian Black Sea Fleet not encroach on Ukraine's sovereignty

KIEV, July 18 (Itar-Tass) -- The deployment of the Russian Black Sea
Fleet in the Crimea does not encroach on Ukraine's sovereignty, Speaker of
the Verkhovna Rada Vladimir Litvin said in an interview with the
parliamentary television channel on Sunday.
"Take a look at European countries, where US military bases are
deployed," he said.
Litvin came out in favour of the development of pragmatic relations
with Russia. "To speak about a perpetual friendship it means not to
comprehend modern processes," he believes. "This fact points to the
unwillingness to agree about a true cooperation," the parliamentary
speaker noted.
"The issues, in which we have some disagreements, we should discuss
how we can overcome them. The issues, in which we have different
positions, we should not seek to overpower each other, but should just
live and work," he stated.
In 2010, Ukraine and Russia agreed to extend a lease contract for the
Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea from 2017 to 2042 in a swap for a
discounted Russian gas price at 100 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.