The lower house of the Russian parliament, the Duma, has ratified a friendship treaty with Ukraine, which was signed by the presidents of the two countries in May last year.

The Communist-dominated Duma delayed the ratification because of disagreements over Kiev's cooperation with NATO, the presence of the Russian Black Sea fleet in the Crimean peninsula, trade and the rights of the Russian speaking population in Ukraine.

Before the vote the Russian foreign minister, Igor Ivanov, said that refusal to ratify the treaty would push Ukraine closer to NATO and territorial claims on the predominantly Russian populated Crimea would strain bilateral relations and violate international norms.