Poroshenko Orders to Start Procedure of Ukraine's Official Withdrawal From CIS

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced that the CIS framework signed by Ukraine, as well as the Treaty on Friendship with Russia, should be reassessed taking into account its compliance with the national interests of the country.

"Considering the fact that Ukraine has never been and is not now a member of the CIS, as well as the refusal of the body to condemn Russian aggression, I would like to ask the government to prepare proposals on the official termination of our membership in the constituent bodies of the CIS, as well as on the final closure of the Ukrainian representation at the relevant bodies in Minsk," Poroshenko said at the eleventh Kiev security forum on Thursday.

He added that the legal framework of the CIS, which was signed by Ukraine, should be reassesed taking into account its compliance with the national interests of the country. The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization that was formed by former Soviet Union members in the 1990s. The group aims to promote economic, political and cultural cooperation.

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Poroshenko went on saying that he will submit to Ukraine's parliament a draft law on the immediate unilateral termination of certain provisions of the Treaty on Friendship with Russia, since "the treaty is incompatible with the national interests of Ukraine and the realization of its right to self-defense." 

The president noted the provisions of the treaty, which state that the parties "respect each other's territorial integrity and confirm the inviolability of the existing borders between them" will remain in force.

Earlier in March, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry already drafted a proposal to pull out from the constituent bodies of the CIS and tear up a friendship and partnership pact with Russia.

The Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and Russia was signed in May 1997 and entered into force in April 1999 for a period of 10 years with automatic extension for the next ten years if there are no objections from the parties. It establishes the principle of strategic partnership, recognition of the inviolability of existing borders, respect for territorial integrity and mutual obligation not to use its territory against the other party's security.

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October 2018 is the deadline for the parties to declare their intention to prolong or terminate the contract for another ten-year period. Ukrainian deputy foreign minister argued that the country should not extend the treaty, whereas the deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration spoke in favor of amending the document, abolishing only some of its provisions, since a termination of the treaty could have negative consequences for Ukraine itself.