ODESSA : Slow Progress on Fleet
Russian and Ukrainian officials plan five days of meetings in this seaside Ukrainian city starting Wednesday in one more attempt to resolve their differences over the future of the former Soviet Black Sea Fleet.
With 345 surface ships, 28 submarines, 159 aircraft and 90,000 men, the Black Sea Fleet is roughly the same size as the British or French navy, and is a prize that both states would love to have.
Russia claims that the fleet has strategic significance and therefore should remain under the joint command of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Ukrainian officials have stressed that they need at least 30% of the fleet to protect their shores.
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