Russia agreed Saturday to withdraw former Soviet troops from the Baltics starting this month and indicated it may leave behind some weapons to bolster the fledgling states.
The agreement, announced by Lithuanian and Russian negotiators, helps resolve the bitter legacy of Soviet military intervention in one corner of the former Soviet empire.But Russia and Ukraine remained at loggerheads Saturday over the Black Sea Fleet, the most problematic part of the vast military machine orphaned by the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Ukrainian defense minister accused former Soviet navy commanders of using force to prevent sailors from pledging allegiance to Ukraine, where the fleet is based. He urged wavering servicemen not to give in.
"In a truly lawful and democratic state, such as we're trying to build, no one has the right to foist any point of view on a serviceman by force. Unfortunately, this is what is happening," Defense Minister Konstantin Morozov said in an appeal published by Ukrainian newspapers.
The three Baltic states - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - repeatedly have demanded the withdrawal of all former Soviet troops from their soil since they won independence after the August coup.
Officials say 128,000 officers and men are stationed in the Baltics. They have been under Russian jurisdiction since the breakup of the Soviet Union in December.