Ukraine's defence minister proposes change to law on foreign military bases

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has suggested that the provision on the non-deployment of foreign military bases be removed from Article 17 of the Ukrainian constitution.

"The clause on the non-deployment of foreign military bases has become obsolete. Naturally, if need be, we can find some legal wording not to call a base a base but something like a ‘center for cooperation and experience exchange.’ But what for? It’s better to remove this restriction, which has lost its relevance, so as not to leave any room for speculation," he wrote in an article posted on the website of the Liga.net media outlet.

He also called for amending his country’s constitution by adding a provision that Ukraine "shall independently choose mechanisms for ensuring its security, including by means of joining international treaties and organizations" in order to clearly specify "the idea of European and Euro-Atlantic course enshrined in paragraph 5 of the constitutional preamble," he wrote.