Ukraine Nuclear Agreement

[RitterSport]

What was the agreement that Western countries and Russia came to in exchange for Ukraine giving up their nukes?

I’ve seen a range on this site and elsewhere that we (US, Europe, Russia) agreed just to leave their sovereignty intact, all the way to something more active about helping them defend themselves if someone threatens their sovereignty, like some sort of security agreement. What’s the FQ answer?

[XT]

It’s in this Wiki if you are interested.

I think this is the key parts (hopefully this isn’t quoting to much):

On December 5, 1994 the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Britain and the United States signed a memorandum to provide Ukraine with security assurances in connection with its accession to the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state. The four parties signed the memorandum, containing a preamble and six paragraphs. The memorandum reads as follows:[9]

The United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,

Welcoming the accession of Ukraine to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as non-nuclear-weapon State,

Taking into account the commitment of Ukraine to eliminate all nuclear weapons from its territory within a specified period of time,

Noting the changes in the world-wide security situation, including the end of the Cold War, which have brought about conditions for deep reductions in nuclear forces.

Confirm the following:

1. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine, in accordance with the principles of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine.

2. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine, and that none of their weapons will ever be used against Ukraine except in self-defence or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

3. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine, in accordance with the principles of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, to refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Ukraine of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind.

4. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their commitment to seek immediate United Nations Security Council action to provide assistance to Ukraine, as a non-nuclear-weapon State party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, if Ukraine should become a victim of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used.

5. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm, in the case of Ukraine, their commitment not to use nuclear weapons against any non-nuclear-weapon State party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, except in the case of an attack on themselves, their territories or dependent territories, their armed forces, or their allies, by such a State in association or alliance with a nuclear-weapon State.

6. Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and the United States of America will consult in the event a situation arises that raises a question concerning these commitments.

— Memorandum on Security Assurances in Connection with Ukraine’s Accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons[9]

Interestingly, China and France also made some commitments. Anyway, it’s in the Wiki.

[RitterSport]

Thanks! I don’t see any requirements for the US to protect them from Russian incursions (leaving aside whether we should), which is something I’ve seen elsewhere.

[XT]

There isn’t one. The US didn’t promise to protect Ukraine or sign any sort of defense treaty with them. Russia did promise to honor Ukraine’s borders and sovereignty, but you can see what even specific promises are worth wrt this sort of thing.

[RitterSport]

Yeah, Russia seems to be clearly violating their treaty obligations, and already did in 2014. I imagine they came up with some fig leaf, but that’s not really a FQ topic.

[XT]

Yeah, probably beyond the scope of GQ (or I guess FQ now), though it is a specific question with a specific answer as to what they used to justify their actions. I won’t quote from it, but here is the Wiki about the annexation of Crimea, and his fig leaf is in the Legal Issues section if you really want to know.

[RitterSport]

Thanks again!