Treaty Between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on Cooperation in the Use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait
This treaty defined shared Russian-Ukrainian jurisdiction over the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait, later renounced by both states amid the 2022 war.
Key Facts
- Signed
- 24 December 2003
- Entered into force
- 23 April 2004
- Signed by (Ukraine)
- President Leonid Kuchma
- Signed by (Russia)
- President Vladimir Putin
- Ukraine denounced treaty
- February 2023
- Russia denounced treaty
- June 2023
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia and Ukraine required a bilateral framework to govern shared use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, two strategically important bodies of water bordering both states, including rights over navigation, fisheries, and maritime jurisdiction.
On 24 December 2003, Presidents Leonid Kuchma and Vladimir Putin signed a treaty establishing cooperative arrangements for the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait. Both parliaments ratified the agreement in April 2004, with the treaty entering into force on 23 April 2004, codifying the shared status of these waters between the two nations.
The treaty was renounced by both sides in 2023 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia's Federation Council justified the denunciation by asserting that Ukraine had lost its status as a littoral state, claiming sole Russian jurisdiction over the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.
Political Outcome
Treaty established shared Russian-Ukrainian jurisdiction over the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait; later denounced by both parties in 2023.