THE BUDAPEST MEMORANDUM OF 1994

Many people are not aware of the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. I reproduce the details below.

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, signed on December 5, 1994, was an agreement between Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It was a diplomatic arrangement under which Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal—which at the time was the third-largest in the world, inherited from the Soviet Union—in exchange for security assurances regarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Key Points of the Memorandum:

1. Nuclear Disarmament:

Ukraine agreed to transfer its nuclear weapons to Russia for dismantling and to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear state.

2. Security Assurances:

In return, Russia, the U.S., and the U.K. pledged to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence.

3. No Use of Force or Coercion:

The signatories committed to not using force or economic pressure against Ukraine.

4. Consultations in Case of Threats:

If Ukraine faced security threats, the signatories would hold consultations.

5. No Nuclear Threats:

The signatories pledged not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

Involvement of Clinton and Major

• U.S. President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister John Major played key roles in brokering and overseeing the agreement, alongside Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma.

• The agreement was not a legally binding treaty, but rather a diplomatic assurance, which critics argue made it easier for signatories to disregard it later.

The Memorandum’s Violation:

• Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 was widely seen as a clear violation of the Budapest Memorandum.

• Western nations condemned Russia’s actions but did not take military action to uphold Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

• This event has since raised serious questions about the reliability of security assurances in exchange for disarmament.

Ukraine’s Perspective Today

Many Ukrainian leaders and analysts now see the Budapest Memorandum as a major diplomatic mistake, believing that if Ukraine had kept its nuclear weapons, Russia would not have invaded Crimea in 2014 or launched a full-scale war in 2022. The failure of the U.S. and U.K. to enforce the agreement has also damaged trust in similar international security guarantees.