In exchange for nuclear disarmament of Ukraine (voluntary elimination of 2000 strategic nuclear warheads, inherited by Ukraine from the USSR, and Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear-weapon State) Ukraine in line with the Memorandum on Security Assurances in Connection with Ukraine’s Accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Budapest Memorandum) of 1994 obtained the assurances of its security.

The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, the People's Republic of China and the French Republic reaffirmed in the Budapest Memorandum their commitments 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.

The Guarantor States also reaffirmed their obligations 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.

The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, the People's Republic of China and the French Republic committed 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.

The Guarantor States in the Budapest Memorandum also committed to consult in the event a situation arises that raises a question concerning their commitments.

In view of the above, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expresses its concern with the recent events in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, in particular, the information on a possible outside intervention that would be a direct breach of the Memorandum's commitments.

 

 

After the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea had refused to consider separatist initiatives on 26 February 2014, an armed terrorist group acting under the flags of the Russian Federation seized buildings of the the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Cabinet of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on 27 February 2014. On 28 February 2014 there were attempts of unidentified armed militants to capture the airport in Simferopol and Belbek airport near Sevastopol on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Besides, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expresses its concern with the conduct these days by the Russian Federation of its large-scale military exercise and military redeployment in the regions bordering with Ukraine.

Lately, there also have been numerous movements of military equipment of the Russian Black Sea Fleet across Ukraine's territory not agreed with the Ukrainian side.

Coincidently, many actions of the Russian Federation, particularly raising artificial obstacles in the bilateral trade with Ukraine, have reasons to be qualified as a violation of paragraph 3 of the Memorandum in which the Guarantor States committed to refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Ukraine of the rights inherent in its sovereignty.

 

In connection with these actions the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine:

1.    Requires from the Russian Federation to desist steps, which appear to pose encroachments on the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and to refuse support of separatism in Ukraine in any form.  On its part, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stresses that all civil rights of the citizens of Ukraine of the Russian nationality, guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine and international commitments and obligations of Ukraine, including language rights, are and will be fully and strictly observed in Ukraine. 

2.    Requires from all Guarantor States pursuant to the Budapest Memorandum to reaffirm with practical actions commitment stipulated in the Memorandum 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, to reaffirm obligations 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.

3.    Requires from Guarantor States according to the Budapest Memorandum to support exercising of the monitoring of the situation by the UN Security Council in certain regions of Ukraine, particularly in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, that could jeopardize international peace and security. In the event of an escalation the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine requires from Guarantor States 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, including taking into account the previous consideration of this matter followed up by the adoption of the Statement of the President of the UN Security Council of 20 July 1993.

4.  Invites to Ukraine OSCE's and Council of Europe's special missions to check proper observance of the rights of the citizens of Ukraine of all nationalities and religious denominations in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and other regions of Ukraine.

5. Requests the UN Security Council to convene a meeting to consider the abovementioned problems in the context of the decision of the UN Security Council dated 20 July 1993.

6. Instructs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to take measures for applying the mechanism of international consultations with the Signatories of the Budapest Memorandum to defuse pressure and restore an atmosphere of mutual trust.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine