Base lease signed

MOSCOW – The presidents of Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement Wednesday that would leave Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in its historical base on the coast of neighboring Ukraine for decades to come.

The deal is a blunt signal of Ukraine’s return to Moscow’s good graces since the inauguration in February of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich, squashing the longtime rallying cry of the country’s pro-Western politicians to evict the Russian naval base.

“This document symbolizes our friendship,” Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told reporters after meeting Yanukovich in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Under the new deal, the Black Sea Fleet will stay in its base on the Crimean Peninsula for another 25 years past the old lease’s expiration in 2017.

In exchange for the prolonged stay, Russia’s state gas monopoly, Gazprom, agreed to slash export duties on natural gas sold to cash-strapped Ukraine. The discount would amount to $100 for every 1,000 cubic meters of gas, or a 30 percent decrease in cost if the price of natural gas falls below $330, Gazprom officials said.

The package of deals was a reversal of some of the most notable events to emerge from Ukraine’s so-called Orange Revolution against Russian influence, which started in 2005 and was declared dead with the election of Yanukovich. Ukraine’s pro-Western rulers in recent years have pushed for membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Moscow, meanwhile, has seethed over the loss of clout in a neighbor many Russians regard as a rightful part of their country.

Tensions have created wintertime gas shutdowns, when Moscow has accused Ukraine of failing to pay its bills and stopped gas flowing to Europe in pipelines passing through Ukraine.

On Wednesday, the message from Russia was clear: Ukraine can be strong and functional again, can take shelter under Moscow’s military umbrella and serve as an effective fuel conduit to Europe – but only because Ukrainian leaders are now playing by Russia’s rules.

“This should be a partnership,” Medvedev said, “not a declaration of intent.”

Widespread anger over Ukraine’s economic woes helped to hurtle Yanukovich into office, with many Ukrainians saying they would not re-elect the officials in charge as unemployment and poverty gripped the country.

The deals are sure to further alienate Ukraine’s far west, which is historically linked to Europe and resentful of Russian tampering.