In 1994, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees. Russia invaded anyway. Now, more nations ask: Why disarm if those promises mean nothing?
Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/04/19/ukraine-trusted-the-west-now-everyone-wants-nukes/
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God damn. So, the Budapest Memorandum is short enough to read in a couple of minutes: https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume 3007/Part/volume-3007-I-52241.pdf
It’s incredibly badly written. The most relevant part:
- 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.
What is “assistance”? Selling weapons? Giving weapons? Sending troops? Using nuclear weapons in retaliation? I definitely don’t read that as a security guarantee. But, it seems cunningly vaguely crafted in a way that could make it sound like one.
Also, do they even have to actually give “assistance”? Or just seek assistance from the Security Council and then they’re allowed to give up if they don’t find it?
Does it even get triggered by “victim of any act of aggression,” or does that clause about “in which nuclear weapons are used” also apply to that first contingency?
It’s basically so poorly worded that it could mean anything. Presumably, this was either a deliberate goal, or else the result of the various parties being so unwilling to come to an agreement that they just wanted to get something signed and all move on regardless of whether it meant anything, or both.
Of course, if we’re assigning any blame to Western powers for not stopping the Russian Federation, we should also be noting that the Russian Federation agreed to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine, including the existing borders, and not to attack Ukraine under any circumstances. But we always knew modern Russia is so full of shit their eyes are brown, so no surprise there.
It also kind of says they only get assistance in case nuclear weapons are used. Which in this conflict actually hasn’t happened, and I am not saying that to justify the war effort here, I am just surprised this is so defined and the Ukrainian government felt that was enough.
Grammatically, it doesn’t say that. An act of aggression or a nuclear blah blah is vague enough that you can read it with or without a comma
“object of a threat in which nuclear weapons are used”. Just the threat of using nuclear is enough for assistance… The vague part is mainly what “assistance” might be. That what is “assistance” part is very vague in NATO too.
That’s not badly written. Thats intentionally vague so one can justify a lot of different responses. That’s how these things work
“To be America’s enemy is dangerous, but to be it’s ally is fatal”
Seems like Ukraine needs to get nukes, otherwise they’ll continue being the playtoy of the rest of Europe and Russia.
Lol let’s give the ukronazi US puppet regime nukes.
Now, more nations ask: Why disarm if those promises mean nothing?
Who? What nuclear bomb equipped countries are even floating the idea of giving them up lmao?
Don’t forget to punch a Russia-loving “conservative”.
Punching is no longer enough, they are too stupid to understand how they are destroying society by voting conservative and following religions that promote fascists into power, who enable suffering. You either need to destroy their lives and/or destroy their families.
You need to completely and utterly wipe their culture away, or they will come creeping back from the dark depths like fucking cockroaches as they are doing today.
Anything short of that enables it to return to fuck up society again in the future. If what you read shocked you, this is what the fascist message is: to shock you into inaction by how they use violence to get what they want, while you watch helplessly.
You, dear rando reader of this comment, being a partisan pacifist allowed them to come back and fuck your life up, fuck your wallet up, and hurt vulnerable people. This is your fault for being a pearl-clutching impotent adverse-to-conflict pathetic bitch. Go buy a gun and shoot them instead.
Man, it’s fucking bullshit I have to see the apocalypse in my lifetime. No part of me thinks I make it to old age without this planet becoming a radioactive hellscape.
You could avoid it by taking action…
This is why North Korea can never give up their nukes.
