Kravchuk: Budapest memorandum has to be revisited
In a live broadcast on the First National TV Channel of Ukraine, former Ukrainian president, Leonid Kravchuk, stated that the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, signed in 1994, is still pertinent.
“The memorandum hasn’t been lost at all. We can raise the issue of compliance with the conditions of the memorandum, signed in 1994, at an international conference,” Kravchuk said. The politician is sure that Russia, as one of the signatories of the memorandum, will refuse to take part such a conference.
“And then, the world will see who participates in compliance with the conditions of the document on an international level. We will raise the issue, specify that if some countries ignore an international agreement such as this, nobody will respect it,” Kravchuk noted.
According to Kravchuk, the approach of Western leaders, who give priority to some such documents over others, is unacceptable. “Then why do we need to adopt them in the first place? All international agreements need to be implemented. We have to raise this issue in order to make the international community aware of its ramifications,” Kravchuk summarized.
As is widely known, Ukraine inherited a substantial nuclear arsenal after the break-up of the Soviet Union. At the initiative of the former President of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, and under significant pressure of the West, Ukraine signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons on November 16th, 1994.
Following this agreement, Ukraine’s nuclear arsenal was handed over to the Russian Federation. Nuclear-capable States, including Russia, took on the responsibility of ensuring the safety of Ukraine.