The Bargain for Security: The Budapest Memorandum The primary catalyst for the disarmament was the promise of security guarantees from the major nuclear powers. The Inheritance of the Soviet Arsenal To understand why Ukraine gave up its nukes, one must first understand how it acquired them.
The Inheritance of the Soviet Arsenal and the Decision to Disarm
The warheads required specific maintenance, storage facilities needed to be secured against potential sabotage, and the command and control systems had to be transitioned from Moscow to Kyiv, creating a precarious situation for both Ukraine and the world. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine found itself in possession of the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world.
In December 1994, the leaders of Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia signed the Budapest Memorandum. The choice was pragmatic: retain a costly and isolated weapons system, or disarm and join the global economic and political order.
The Inheritance of the Soviet Arsenal and the Decision to Disarm
For the US, a nuclear-armed Ukraine was a scenario that threatened the strategic balance established during the Cold War. The signatories promised to consult if Ukraine faced threats, but this did not equate to a binding commitment to direct military intervention.
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