There is hardly a document in independent Ukraines foreign policy that is more well-known than the Memorandum on Security Assurances relating to the accessioThere is hardly a document in independent Ukraine’s foreign policy that is more well-known than the Memorandum on Security Assurances relating to the accession of the country to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)— the legendary 1994 Budapest Memorandum. Shrouded in myths, it is often seen and referred to as the proverbial magic crystal capable of solving all Ukraine’s national security problems, writes Oleh Belokolos.
In truth, few people know what it is really about and even fewer have actually read it. Of those, perhaps, just a handful of politicians and experts have a profound understanding of its political and international legal contexts. So, on the eve of yet another anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence, it seems timely to give that international document a closer look and draw non-biased conclusions.