The Budapest Memorandums

On December 5, 1994 the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Britain and the United States signed a memorandum to remove nuclear weapons in Ukraine. They all signed six agreements for Ukraine, the agreements are:

  1. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine, in accordance with the principles of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine;
  2. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine, and that none of their weapons will ever be used against Ukraine except in self-defence or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations;
  3. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine, in accordance with the principles of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, to refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Ukraine of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind;
  4. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm their commitment to seek immediate United Nations Security Council action to provide assistance to Ukraine, as a non-nuclear-weapon State party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, if Ukraine should become a victim of [6] an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used;
  5. The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America reaffirm, in the case of Ukraine, their commitment not to use nuclear weapons against any non-nuclearweapon State party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, except in the case of an attack on themselves, their territories or dependent territories, their armed forces, or their allies, by such a State in association or alliance with a nuclear-weapon State;
  6. Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America will consult in the event a situation arises that raises a question concerning these commitments.

Wikipedia

29 Comments

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29 responses to “The Budapest Memorandums

  1. tangodeltafoxtrot

    Would have thought Putin’s homophobic legislation isn’t a million miles away from Thatcher’s Section 28.

    Which makes me wonder how many high level closet homosexuals Putin is sheltering, lol.

  2. dave cavendish

    Its been hidden up but allan turing enticeda 15 year old backward boy into a frendship which he betrayed by buggering the simple lad
    i only know because my mums side of the family were related to turing,
    he was far from being the nice man you see on TV
    He was often turned away from hanging round school gates by police
    in a crime which used to be called “poofeteering ”
    men who hang around school gates can no longer be prosecuted as homosexuality is ok now, but it you ask me i think they should all be prosecuted

  3. dpack

    gas pipeline
    black sea port
    some wheat
    buffer zone
    not much else seems important in to those pulling rank on any side

    • Sabre

      Gas pipeline – has to be an economic imperative.
      Black sea port – has to be a strategic imperative.
      Some wheat – has got to tick lots of boxes (bread is even more important than circuses)
      Buffer zone – I bet you like a bit of distance between your back and the club wielding hand of your enemy.
      Seems enough to be getting on with?

      The nuclear reactors in the Ukraine have got to be a concern?
      The US spending $5 Billion dollars to de-stabilize Ukraine leading to the ousting of a democratically elected government with the aid of the far-right who managed to get themselves outflanked when their usefulness came to an end resulting in the assassination of at least one of its leaders.

      • What concerns me more than anything is the complete collapse of law and order since the Euromaidian ‘heroes’ chased the elected president out of Kiev, killing at least 10 policemen (ordinary guys with families, like the rest of us) in the process. Now we have at least 50 unarmed protesters getting burned alive in Odessa, military actions in Donetsk and Lugansk and the bodies are piling up day after day. The whole situation has completely destabilized thanks to US/EU funded Euromaidan + right sector ‘hired thugs’. It really has nothing to do with Putin, as far as I can see.

        The only part of the Ukraine with some degree of stability is the Crimea these days. And this is thanks to Putin.

  4. alanbstardmp

    How uncalled for from Gore Vidal, allegedly a molester himself, well ex, he’s gone now. This is what ordinary people, especially parents are up against

    http://newsbusters.org/blogs/colleen-raezler/2009/10/28/author-gore-vidal-labels-polanski-victim-young-hooker

  5. Don’t you all think we have enough Problems in Britain, and yes i understand we have opinions. But wasting all this energy and passion on something none of us can really change. But we could try and change things nearer home…….

  6. James

    The more Western politicians use LGBT people as pawns in their geopolitical scuff with Vladimir Putin, the more Russians associate the LGBT movement with aggressive outsiders – and the more they seek to define their culture against it. If, indeed, the “heterosexist gender-normative” establishment DID want more freedom for Russian non-heteros it would keep this in mind.

    As it is, cynical straight politicians are happy to to use gays as geopolitical pawns where Russia is concerned. Why do they not do this in the middle East? Or India, which has more stringent laws against LGBT people than Russia? Because Russia is bogeyman de jour. Incidentally, has Russia banned homosexuality? No, it hasn’t, it’s just restricted freedom of speech with a nasty, vindictive “propaganda” law. India has outlawed gay sex outright, and did so before the Russian law was adopted federally. Nobody seems to care about that now, even though they’ve just elected a thoroughly nasty president. Because they’re our mates, that’s why.

    Russia is in the spotlight for geopolitical reasons, and if people really cared about this new law they’d work on the ground with Russian LGBT people to advance that cause rather than expecting “The West” to shout at Putin, compare him with Hitler and surround him with NATO missiles. Putin’s a bit like Farage – the more everybody calls him Satan Incarnate, the more Russians rally behind him.

    We should also remember that the Second World War wasn’t the only event in history, to which every-bloody-thing must be compared. Not everything can be paralleled with Hitler, Goebbels, Sudetenland, appeasement, etc. Remember the Alamo, in which the US annexed sovereign Mexican territory? Or how about our wonderful Empire? Crimea was indefensible, but it wasn’t Hitlerite.

    • alanbstardmp

      American Jews play the gay and anti semitic card against Putin. They statred attacking him publicly in the media when he locked up ogligarchs There’s been worse than Hitler too, the Soviets murdered a lot more people

  7. TFS

    Actually LGBTQ, the West has failed to stand up to the West, why should it stand up to Russian.

    Lets get our won house in order.

  8. LGBTQ Rights Now!

    The west had the chance to stand up to Putin several years ago when his regime began the state persecution of LGBTQ people. However, it just stood back because its heterosexist, gender normative ruling establishment didn’t give two hoots about gay and transgendered people. Now Putin has got western leaders by the short and curlies and they’re powerless. I believe someone warned us about the practical dangers of this appeasing mind-set earlier. First they came for the gays, but I didn’t do anything to help them because I wasn’t gay and by the time they came for me there was no-one left to do anything to help me, eh…?

    • gary jones

      Has he actually “gone after the gays”?

      There has been a lot of western press noise but it all seems to be centered on the fact he refuses to promote a gay agenda in society and simply goes by the old saying “live and let live”, which is an entirely different thing from actively promoting gayness

      • alanbstardmp

        No, being gay is legal in Russia, however, preaching homosexuality to minors is not, as it isn’t in any other countries. The gay thing may be a stalking horse ( pardon the pun ) for another agenda

        Makes you wonder who runs our countries when such a fuss is made about gays

        Maybe little boys would not have been farmed out to perverts in UK if greater scrutiny was placed on gays

    • alanbstardmp

      there has been non state persecution of gays in Russia

    • alanbstardmp

      Let’s not blame Hitler for anti gay treatment. It was illegal in western democracies till the 70s. Britain lockled up Alan Turing, the code breaker.. I saw a TV doco and many of the gays locked up were molesters.

      I wonder if Putin has heard of the organized molestation of children in Britain since the time of the Krays and Ted Heath> I wonder if he knows about the very people and thing s we complain about here?

      Gays are on Putin’s back about gays not being allowed to preach to minors in Russia. Hey! You shouldn’t be preaching sex to kids be it hetero or gay

      I have my suspicions about Stephen Fry, and old blokes like Ian McKellan who talks about being gay even time he’s on TV. You’d think if you were over 70 your sexuality would be as important

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/why-are-these-artists-def_b_372306.html

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-107854/Frys-comedy-comes-fire.html

      How dare Fry think he has the right to go to Russia and preach to underaged about gay sex

  9. Pat

    Gojam,
    I don’t understand why you are venturing into the geo-political chess game currently underway. Most people I would guess come here to find out if there is any news regarding the various (disappointingly slow moving) investigations surrounding CSA.
    With respect, I think your views on Ukraine, Putin, Crimea, and UKIP/Farage are immature 6th form debating room standard to be frank.

    There is a much bigger picture.

    Regards
    Pat

  10. LJMT

    Well I am pretty right wing and anti-totalitarian but I think Russia has been deliberately provoked on this. Read Richard Russell’s comments on this on King World News. Being 90 he says what he thinks. And there are other multi-millionaire fund managers (so hardly communist sympathisers nor anti-Western) saying exactly the same. Even the pugilistic Kissinger. says there was an agreement not to annexe Ukraine to NATO and place missiles on Russia’s borders.

    It is really no secret that the govt. in Ukraine was toppled by Washington and an unelected Washington puppet elected. A classic “divide and conquer” op was carried out, and Putin’s reaction has actually been very careful and muted.

    Why should Russia want to be surrounded by inimical missiles? Would we want to be surrounded by unfriendly missiles situated in France, Ireland and the Netherlands pointed at us? We might apply the golden rule and be more honest, and not break a treaty and then blame the other nation for taking preventative action. It is like a footballer who fouls and when the other player’s legs get unavoidably entangled and he attempts to extricate himself with something near minimum fuss the player rolls histrionically on the ground wailing and rolling.

    We want a safe and sensible world for our children and grandchildren, not one in which one nuclear power has the stupidity and hubris deliberately to antagonise another, almost as though aiming for a third world war.

  11. TFS

    Gojam.

    Can you explain the economic coercion forced by Russia on Ukraine?
    If I’m not mistaken Russia was owed money. It is well within its right to withhold goods and services until payment. Russia has learned well from the West’s version of capitalism forced on the rest of the world by the Central Banks, the IMF and those lovely economic hitmen.

    I have no doubt Amerika and West is currently involved in it own version of economic coercion with Ukraine, which will see state owned assets being stolen by the West.

    Can you explain just how Russian disregarded Ukraine’s territorial integrity? Unless I’m correct, Crimea chose the act of self determination to align with Russia.

    Also Amerika connived for a coup in Ukraine of an elected president and the installation of someone ‘IT’ deemed worthy of its patronage. The words ‘fuck Europe’ spring to mind from some mouthpiece called Nuland.

    I find your response to imperfectobscurity lacking. Surely it would have been better to more fully explain your view with facts and refrain from just calling someone ignorant or a disinformation specialist.

  12. Bruce Goldfinch

    Gojam, you may not like what he is saying, but surely he has a right to have an opinion.

    • Yep, but not the right to spread disinformation.

      Regulars will know that I am happy to take personal criticism but this blog is supposed to be informative and those remarks are deliberately misleading.

      He’s either an ignorant troll or a disinformation specialist and I have time for neither.

  13. “… to refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Ukraine of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind;”

    Shame that the West didn’t abide by this section….

    • Given the ‘economic coercion’ by Russia over energy supply and the flagrant disregard of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, I find your remarks either ignorant or an ill-judged attempt at disinformation.

      Either way, you’re not welcome here.

      I’ve no time for apologists for aggression by a dishonoured Russia or Putin.

      Don’t bother trying to post here again.

      • I completely agree with ‘imperfectobscurity’ comment.

        NATO has continued to encircle Russia with her military by breaking international law and invading countries on phoney pretexts. I think this is at least one reason why Russia decided to break her own promise and take back the Crimea (an ‘invasion’ with 0 deaths) which had belonged to Russia for 250 years.

        Putin is held up as another evil man to blame all the worlds problems on. But he has actually done a lot of good.

      • Andy Barnett

        I would be interested to know just how the West has used economic coercion to subordinate the sovereign rights of Ukraine. Greece & others I understand, but Ukraine?

      • don’t be ridiculous. You forget the Ukraine was Russian and given autonomy in the 50s. What happens there is no business of ours. It’s clear Russians there want a return to Russia

        Our govt’s have done more to violate integrity over the years than Putin. People are entitled to an alternative view

      • Sabre

        Imperfect along with several others on this thread have a right to their points of view, they also happen to be correct in IMHO.
        Your blog Gojam therefore only right that you decide, however, my first visit was inspired by your allusion to Thucydides perhaps you are similarly interested in Hobbes and Machiavelli ?
        Realpolitik – I have absolutely no doubt that Russian Federation are positioning for their own interests, US, EU and others are doing the same.
        Russian Federation can make a far better case than the other belligerents.

        • Hi Sabre,

          Occasionally, I have been known to be an arse. Last Thursday was one such occasion.

          However, I would point out that the Thucydides post was all about learning the lessons of the past. One lesson I have learnt is that often a ‘reasonable people’ will make excuses for the belligerent actions of others. They will blame themselves for the aggression of others. The 1930s were one such occasion. We may all look back on that time 70 years ago in dusty history books and look on it as a fable from another age but at the time he British people, and others, made excuses for Adolf Hitler and looked to blame themselves for his actions.

          And, if I explode in disgust, then it is only because I see that folly being repeated.

          Putin is a nationalist, he wants a greater Russia, a mirror of the Soviet empire. Newly independent countries in the Baltic and eastern Europe look afeared at the Bear resurgent, while Britons apologise and excuse his actions.

          We never learn.