Ukraine has terminated a secure direct telephone line with Moscow that had been in operation since the late 1990s, marking another step in severing ties with Russia amid the ongoing war.
The line, established on 27 February 1998, was part of an agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Russian Federation. Its termination comes 10 years into the Russo-Ukrainian war and 2.5 years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On 30 August, Taras Melnychuk, the permanent representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament), announced via Telegram that the Ukrainian government had ended the agreement with Russia regarding the organization of a direct secure telephone line between Kyiv and Moscow.
This decision is part of a broader trend of Ukraine terminating agreements with Russia and its allies.
- In 2020, Ukraine cut last remaining links with Russia’s post Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States.
- On 24 February 2022 – the day of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Russia.
- In 2023, the Cabinet terminated an agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation on coordinating railway transport activities.
- In August 2023, Ukraine terminated several agreements with Russia, Iran, Belarus, and Syria.
- Furthermore, in October 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed to the Parliament to terminate the consular agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The relevant bill has already been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.
Related:
- Zelenskyy signs law banning religious institutions linked to Russia
- Baltic States to cut ties with Russian energy grid in 2025
- Ukraine cuts more of last remaining links with post-Soviet Commonwealth of Independent States
