Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, signed on 5 December 1994, records security assurances given to Ukraine by Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States in connection with Ukraine’s accession to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon state.¹

January 1994 framework

The Trilateral Statement of 14 January 1994 linked the transfer of nuclear warheads from Ukraine to Russia for dismantlement with compensation in civilian nuclear fuel and American assistance. It also set out the security assurances the United States and Russia were prepared to provide once START I entered into force and Ukraine joined the NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon state.²

Assurances

The December memorandum sets out six commitments:¹

1. Respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and existing borders.
2. Refrain from threatening or using force against Ukraine, subject to self-defence and the UN Charter.
3. Refrain from economic coercion aimed at subordinating Ukraine’s sovereign rights to the assuring states’ interests.
4. Seek immediate Security Council action to assist Ukraine against aggression or threatened aggression involving nuclear weapons.
5. Reaffirm non-use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine, except where a non-nuclear state attacks the assuring states, their territories, dependent territories, forces or allies in association or alliance with a nuclear-weapon state.
6. Consult if questions arise about these commitments.

Sources

1. Signed memorandum, 5 December 1994, United Nations Treaty Series, volume 3007, I-52241, English text, pp. 168–172; registration record.
2. Trilateral Statement and Annex, 14 January 1994, Clinton Presidential Library document reproduced by the National Security Archive.

External links

Wikipedia: Budapest Memorandum