Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that Kiev could reconsider the renunciation of nuclear weapons, which is provided for by the Budapest Memorandum. The head of state announced that he was gathering the countries participating in the document for consultations, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs was instructed to convene them. The Ukrainian leader’s speech at the Munich Conference was broadcast by the head of state’s office in Facebook.
If they do not take place again or if there are no security guarantees for our country as a result of them, Ukraine will have every right to believe that the Budapest Memorandum does not work, and all package decisions of 1994 will be called into question.
On December 5, 1994, Ukraine signed the Budapest Memorandum, according to which it pledged to eliminate the nuclear arsenal left over from the Soviet Union in exchange for security guarantees from Russia, the United States and Great Britain. Kiev has joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
On February 15, three former presidents of Ukraine – Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma and Viktor Yushchenko – addressed the signatory countries of the Budapest Memorandum. They called on the guarantors of the document to “prove their true strength” and that the document was not “a mere hoax”. Former leaders claim that in 2014 Russia destroyed the territorial integrity of Ukraine and today threatens it with further invasion.
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UN urged to restrain rhetoric
UN Secretary General Stefan Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary General, recalled António Guterres’ call to restrain rhetoric aimed at escalating tensions after Zelensky’s statement on the Budapest Memorandum, reports TASS.
We are not going to comment on everything that was said at the conference. I will refer to the words that the Secretary General said yesterday regarding the rhetoric
On February 18, the UN called on the leaders of countries in the situation around Ukraine to refrain from actions that increase risks and start de-escalation.
Prior to this, António Guterres said that he was encouraged by the ongoing diplomatic efforts on the situation around Ukraine. Guterres is convinced that there will be no war, as a military “conflict would be a disaster.”
Withdrawal from the Budapest Memorandum is a bluff
Bulgarian international policy expert Boyan Chukov said in an interview with TASSthat Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is bluffing about Kiev’s possible withdrawal from the Budapest Memorandum.
The President of Ukraine at the moment resembles a chameleon that changes color, trying to be scary. This kind of work on the preparation of nuclear weapons requires time, which is not available
Chukov emphasized that it is one thing to want, and quite another to be able and actually do it.
A similar opinion is shared by military expert Viktor Litovkin, his words leads REN TV. He noted that Kiev had never had its own nuclear complex, Ukraine had never produced such weapons and did not even have access keys to them. According to the expert, withdrawing from the Budapest Memorandum will be only a symbolic step, but will not cause any damage.
Therefore, what Zelensky says today is very far from the truth, from the truth. And no matter what he says, Ukraine is no longer able to produce missiles, and it has never been able to make nuclear weapons and will never be able to do it.
In December, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov said that defensive weapons should be transferred to Kiev in exchange for the elimination of the nuclear arsenal. He stressed that Ukraine did not receive adequate monetary compensation for this.
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Ukraine questions its commitments
Vice Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev said “Interfax”that by threatening to withdraw from the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine calls into question its obligations, but this is not the first time. He noted that in this way Kiev could withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. According to the senator, only North Korea had dared to make such demarches before.
Political scientist of the Center for Political Analysis and Social Research Pavel Danilin believes that Zelensky’s statements can be ignored, since expanding the list of nuclear powers is not beneficial to anyone and requires minimal stability in the country, which is not the case in Ukraine. His words leads REN TV.
Accordingly, there is a rather serious conflict with a nearby nuclear neighbor – with Russia. And, of course, this will lead to complete degradation in the European security zone. Therefore, I think that this threat of Zelensky can be safely ignored, considering it as a stupid and inappropriate blackmail.
In October, Ukraine wanted to replace the Budapest Memorandum with another international security treaty. This was stated by Deputy Permanent Representative of the country to the UN Yuriy Vitrenko. According to him, Russia is responsible for the violation of the memorandum during the events of 2014, despite the fact that Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations.
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