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by Xinhua writers Yu Maofeng, Lu Jingli
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| Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (L) shakes hands with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after signing agreements at the Kremlin in Moscow, capital of Russia, March 5, 2010. Yanukovych paid his first visit to Moscow after inauguration on Friday. (Xinhua/Lu Jinbo) |
MOSCOW, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's new President Viktor Yanukovych on Friday pledged to mend ties with Russia after bilateral relations had been worsened for five years under his pro-Western predecessor.
Yanukovych, who took office last week, made his first visit as president to Moscow and promised a "sharp turn" in bilateral relations. It was the first visit to Russia by a Ukrainian head of state in two years, painting a seemingly rosy picture of increasing interaction.
Nonetheless, Moscow and Kiev still have a long way to go before both countries can reconcile their different interests and engage in practical cooperation, analysts say.
A U-TURN IN FROZEN TIES
To welcome their meeting in Kremlin, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Yanukovych that he hoped that relations between the two countries would "assume a new quality in dynamics, become much closer, and be based on kind sentiments and pragmatism."
Yanukovych, tagged as a pro-Kremlin candidate back in the 2004 presidential election, promised to "open a new page" in bilateral relations, saying that bilateral ties should never have plunged to such a low level.
"One of my key tasks is to make sure that relations between Ukraine and Russia take a U-turn in the right direction," he said.
Yanukovych said after the talks that both countries would soon find a solution to Russian Black Sea Fleet problem as a lease agreement on the Ukrainian Sevastopol naval base expires in 2017.
"I think that we will soon get an answer which will satisfy both Ukraine and Russia," Yanukovych said.
His West-leaning predecessor Viktor Yushchenko had insisted the fleet leave the base once the lease expires.
Yanukovych also said that Ukraine would be "a European, non-aligned state" during his presidency, suggesting that he has no desire to join NATO.
