“Give up your nuclear weapons (to us) and in return, we will guarantee to respect your sovereignty, your independence, and your borders.” So said

This is not fiction | Virgin

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2024-11-22 21:00:01

“Give up your nuclear weapons (to us) and in return, we will guarantee to respect your sovereignty, your independence, and your borders.” So said Russia to Ukraine in 1994. “That is a great idea,” said the US and the UK. “The fewer countries that have nuclear weapons, the smaller is the chance of another world war. We, too, will guarantee your sovereignty, your independence, and make sure your borders are respected and protected.”

This is not fiction. As more than 1000 days have now passed since Russia’s illegal and brutal invasion of Ukraine began, I am reminded once again of both the spirit and the words of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, a treaty compelling Russia, the US, and the UK to offer security and sovereignty guarantees after Ukraine agreed to let go of the vast stockpile of nuclear weapons. The Memorandum’s key passages read as follows:

The United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine, in accordance with the principles of the CSCE [Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe] Final Act, to respect the Independence and Sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine.

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