Ukraine Signs the Budapest Memorandum

Leonid Kuchma joined Bill Clinton, Boris Yeltsin, and John Major in Budapest on 5 December 1994. Ukraine entered the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a state without nuclear weapons, and the four leaders signed a memorandum recording security assurances connected with that decision. [3] [2]

Ukraine had inherited nuclear weapons on its territory when the Soviet Union broke apart. Removing them required agreements on disarmament and on the new state’s security. At the Budapest ceremony, the parties also exchanged ratification documents that brought the START I arms reduction treaty into force. [2]

Russia, Britain, and the United States reaffirmed respect for Ukraine’s independence and existing borders, renounced force and economic coercion, and agreed to consult if questions arose about these commitments. [3]

They also promised to seek immediate United Nations Security Council assistance in the event of aggression involving nuclear weapons. The memorandum contained no automatic obligation to send forces to Ukraine’s defense. [3]

Russia's full scale invasion in February 2022 violated its commitments to respect Ukraine's borders and refrain from force. The United States supplied support to Ukraine while stating that American forces would defend NATO territory and would not enter the war in Ukraine. [3] [4]

Related Diplomats

1. Yuriy Shcherbak [5]

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