Ukraine still considers the Budapest Memorandum a basis of its security assurance by the U.S., the UK, France and China and demands that Russia fulfill its obligations under the document, the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine has said.
According to the ministry’s statement on the 25th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine has carried out all of its obligations under the Memorandum and took a range of complicated measures for nuclear disarmament, while Russia seriously violated its commitments and the basic principles of the international law by occupying Ukraine’s territories and starting a conflict in Donbas.
“Today Russia is actively militarizing the territory of occupied Crimea and has turned it into a strong military base. Taking into consideration the strategic location of Crimea, potential deployment of Russia’s nuclear weapon in its territory puts under threat the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the global security system in general and, respectively, requires an adequate response from international community,” the ministry said.
At the same time, the ministry said that Ukraine appreciates the actions of the U.S., France and the UK in support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within the internationally recognized limits and reaffirm their support by providing Ukraine with aid in the strengthening of its defense capacities and by imposing sanctions on the aggressor.
The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances was signed on Dec. 5, 1994 between Ukraine, the U.S., Russia and the UK. In line with the document, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons to guarantee security to the sides which signed the document.
