19 hours Ago
In answering that question we need to examine the commitments that we in the UK made, together with Russia and the USA. In 1994 Ukraine had the third largest stockpile of nuclear weapons – 1,900 intercontinental nuclear missiles. Enormous pressure was brought to bear in order to get Ukraine to sign up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and divest itself of the weapons.
Notwithstanding the resignation of government ministers in protest, Ukraine complied by signing the Bucharest Memorandum at the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe on Dec 5 1994. In return for giving up its nuclear weapons it received assurances with respect to its independence and territorial integrity from Russia, USA and UK. What are those assurances worth? The Ukrainian translation of the memorandum describes them as ‘guarantees’ but the English version only as ‘assurances’.
The distinction is that the US and UK did not consider themselves committed to going to war on behalf of Ukraine, as implicit in a ‘guarantee’. Rather, that our commitment was limited to diplomatic and materiel support. Russia insists that it has not abrogated the agreement, stating that its undertaking was only not to attack Ukraine with nuclear weapons.
This is a monstrous re-writing of the Treaty. In any event, Russia has indeed threatened the use of nuclear weapons. I am confident that, thus far, the United Kingdom has honoured its commitment.
But, as we watch events unfolding, I believe that we are entitled to ask ‘what is an assurance by the USA now actually worth?’ Rt Hon Sir Desmond Swayne TD MP.
