Budapest Memorandum of 1994: What Security Guarantees Ukraine Received

According to Велика українська енциклопедія: On December 5, 1994, an important political document - the Budapest Memorandum - was signed. This document aimed to encourage nuclear states to respect the independence, sovereignty, and borders of Ukraine, in accordance with the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe of 1975.

The memorandum came into effect immediately after signing, with France and China joining on the same day.

Ukraine played a key role in creating this document, which became an important step in ensuring the security of the 'nuclear club' countries in exchange for their accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear state.

The Budapest Memorandum of 1994 defined the obligations of nuclear states towards Ukraine and marked an important milestone in the development of nuclear disarmament and international relations as a whole.