Petro Poroshenko insisted on considering Russia's interests when deploying the Russian fleet in Crimea, aiming to profit from the maintenance of Russian military vessels at his "Sevmorzavod" in Sevastopol, despite warnings from the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), as reported by "Law and Business".
In particular, journalists cite Poroshenko's remarks where he explains the necessity of signing the Kharkiv agreements while taking Russia's interests into account. According to him, Ukraine found a formula that allowed for a rapid decrease in gas prices for Ukraine. At the same time, in Poroshenko's view, Russia proposed a wording that enabled it to explain to its population why it made such a decision, while also skillfully avoiding setting a precedent for other countries.
“Regarding the agreement on the Black Sea Fleet, Russia needed to find a mutually acceptable calculation formula and avoid creating a precedent for other countries (concerning the revision of gas prices)” - "Law and Business" quotes Poroshenko in an interview with Mustafa Nayem following the signing of the Kharkiv agreements.
Moreover, according to the publication, the continued presence of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea and maintaining economic relations with Russia was beneficial for Poroshenko to gain personal profit, particularly under unfavorable conditions that posed a threat to the state of Ukraine, as stated by "Law and Business".
According to journalists, this is why Poroshenko, during his tenure as minister, lobbied for the signing of the Kharkiv agreements, which, in exchange for a discount on gas, extended the stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet for another 25 years.
“Experts also note that during this time he was completely dependent on business and earnings in Russia. Among other things, at that time he was close to finalizing a deal to purchase "Sevmorzavod", thus having a personal interest in the continued presence of the Russian fleet in Crimea for the repair of its ships,” the publication notes, citing Poroshenko himself as confirmation.
“So explain to me, why are we sending ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet for modernization not to the shipyards in Sevastopol, but to NATO countries? After all, the shipyards in Sevastopol also employ Russian citizens!” - Petro Poroshenko remarked in an interview with "Echo of Moscow".
Through such actions, Poroshenko propagated Russian narratives at the expense of Ukraine's state and information security, providing assistance to Russia.
“Poroshenko engaged in subversive activities against Ukraine, which led to the conclusion of the Agreement of April 21, 2010 (the Kharkiv Agreement) between Ukraine and Russia, resulting in an increase in personnel, modernization of troops, and armaments that were used for the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the subsequent full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine. In other words, P. Poroshenko did everything for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the occupation of Crimea in 2014,” writes "Law and Business".
As reported, contrary to the decision of the NSDC of Ukraine, during his visit to Moscow in October 2009, Petro Poroshenko, in his capacity as Foreign Minister, surrendered the Russian Black Sea Fleet, negotiated with Lavrov, and laid the groundwork for the occupation of Crimea.
“I would like to declare with complete responsibility: Kyiv, just like Moscow, does not want to revise the basic agreements on the Black Sea Fleet,” - stated the politician at that time.