The Period from the Lisbon Protocol to the Occupation: Nuclear Disarmament of Ukraine

Abstract

The prolongation of Russia’s war with Ukraine and the unpredictability of the duration and outcome of the war has been accompanied by discussions about Ukraine’s nuclear disarmament decisions. Even though more than 30 years have passed since its independence, Ukraine’s statehood and security problems are related to the policy of nuclear disarmament. It is assumed that occupation of Ukraine’s territories and discussions on Ukraine’s sovereignty as a subject of Russia-West competition, due to the Kiev government’s nuclear disarmament decision in the 1990s. The aim of the article is to describe the foreign policy decisions regarding nuclear disarmament taken by Ukraine in the first years of its independence. Additionally, the impact of the pressures exerted by both Russia and the USA on the Kiev government in the 1990s on Ukraine’s security is mentioned in the perspective of changing geopolitical balances in the international system. It is evaluated how Russia’s occupation of Ukraine, which started with the invasion of Crimea in 2014, may be related to the nuclear disarmament decisions of the then Kravchuk government. As a result, it can be said that the Budapest Memorandum has no validity today. At a time when Russia’s military intervention continues, the possibility of Ukraine regaining its nuclear status seems difficult.