Diplomacy and the Dissolution of the Soviet Union
1991–1992
Reforms and Independence
Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms, economic difficulties, and challenges to central authority had weakened the Soviet Union. The failed coup against him in August 1991 strengthened Russian president Boris Yeltsin and accelerated the republics’ movement toward independence. [1] [2]
American officials maintained contact with Gorbachev while developing relations with Yeltsin and other republic leaders. Secretary of State James Baker set out principles in September that connected future cooperation with self-determination, existing borders, democratic government, minority rights, and international obligations. [1]
Ukraine’s independence referendum on 1 December narrowed the prospects for a renewed union. On 8 December, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus agreed to create a Commonwealth of Independent States in place of the USSR. Yeltsin telephoned President George H. W. Bush to report the agreement. Eleven republics joined the Commonwealth arrangements at Alma-Ata on 21 December. Gorbachev resigned on 25 December, and the Soviet Union formally ceased to exist the following day. [3] [4]
Recognition and Representation
Bush spoke with Gorbachev on the morning of 25 December and addressed Americans that evening. He announced recognition of Russia and eleven other former Soviet republics, while distinguishing recognition from the next step of establishing diplomatic relations. The embassy in Moscow would continue as the American embassy to Russia. The United States opened an embassy in Kyiv on 23 January 1992, established diplomatic relations with Uzbekistan on 19 February, and opened its embassy in Tashkent on 16 March. [2] [5] [6]
On 24 December, Yeltsin informed the UN secretary-general that the Russian Federation was continuing the Soviet Union’s membership, including its permanent Security Council seat, with the support of the Commonwealth states. Bush publicly supported that continuation. [7] [2]
Nuclear Arms and Treaty Obligations
The Soviet strategic arsenal extended beyond Russia into Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. The Lisbon Protocol of 23 May 1992 adapted the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty to that new geography. Those four states assumed the former USSR’s obligations under START, while Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine committed to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as states without nuclear weapons. The protocol specified communications from inspection sites to American embassies in the respective capitals. [8]
The protocol required ratification and further arrangements among the participating states. In accompanying letters, the governments raised concerns about national security and international control. [8]
Sources
- The Collapse of the Soviet Union
Gorbachev and Yeltsin, the failed August 1991 coup, Baker’s five principles of 4 September, and U.S. contacts with Soviet and republic leaders.
- Address to the Nation on the Commonwealth of Independent States, 25 December 1991
George H.W. Bush’s broadcast address: call with Gorbachev, continued embassy in Moscow, Russian UN seat, recognition of twelve former Soviet republics and differentiated plans for diplomatic relations.
- The End of the Soviet Union 1991
Svetlana Savranskaya and Thomas Blanton, 21 December 2021: narrative on the 1 December Ukrainian referendum, 8 December Belovezhie agreement, and Yeltsin’s call to Bush.
- Records on the Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Finding aid FOIA 1999-0304-F, historical introduction: eleven republics and the CIS on 21 December 1991, Gorbachev’s resignation and formal dissolution on 26 December.
- A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations: Ukraine
Recognition and relations on 25 December 1991; establishment of the American Embassy in Kyiv on 23 January 1992.
- A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations: Uzbekistan
Recognition on 25 December 1991, diplomatic relations on 19 February 1992 and embassy establishment on 16 March 1992.
- Russian Federation — United Nations Member States
Membership note on the USSR as an original member and Boris Yeltsin’s letter of 24 December 1991 continuing its UN membership through the Russian Federation.
- Protocol to the START Treaty, Lisbon, 23 May 1992
Published protocol text, Articles I–VI, particularly successor obligations, communications between inspection sites and U.S. embassies, and non-nuclear NPT commitments.
Related Reading
Cite This Article
Diplomacy and the Dissolution of the Soviet Union. Chanceries Diplopedia. Record bb7805a42dd4cf277f47. https://chanceries.org/research/history/soviet-union-dissolution-1991/