 He argued that the treaty violates the constitution, which bans permanent military bases, and that it was not discussed prior to a vote in the National Security and Defense Council as the constitution requires.He said that the treaty is illegitimate because it rests on only 220 deputies from three factions; Kuzio argued that the remaining twenty-five deputies had been blackmailed, bribed or coerced to defect from the opposition.He added that Ukrainian public support was "gained by a lie" that the deal would bring cheaper Russian gas; while in fact, a new July 2010 agreement with the IMF mandated Ukraine to increase utility prices by a staggering fifty percent on 1 August 2010, and another fifty percent in April 2011.