Russia has clearly

Russia has clearly and unambiguously recognised Ukraine and its present borders. This was
confirmed in:
 The Alma Ata Declaration of December 1991, which consigned the Soviet Union to
history,
 The Budapest memorandum of 1994, offering security guarantees to Ukraine in exchange
for removing nuclear weapons from its territory
 The 1997 agreement on the stationing of the Black Sea fleet in Crimean ports.

The 1997 agreement, extended for an additional 25 years in 2010, authorises the presence of
Russian ships in Crimean harbours, along with the presence of a large military infrastructure,
including training grounds, artillery ranges and other installations. However, major movements
of Russian forces require consultation with the Ukrainian authorities and the agreed force levels
cannot be increased unilaterally.
Contrary to these obligations, Russia has augmented its forces in Crimea without the consent the
Ukraine. It has deployed them outside of the agreed bases, taking control over key installations,
such as airports, and encircling Ukrainian units.