Ukrainians today learned about five questions, which the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky wants to ask as part of the All-Ukrainian poll on the day of local elections, October 25. Particular attention was drawn to the fifth question, which concerned the Budapest Memorandum. The ElitExpert correspondent understood what it was about.
What is the Budapest Memorandum?
"Do you support the right of Ukraine to use the security guarantees defined by the Budapest Memorandum for the restoration of its state sovereignty and territorial value?" — this is exactly how the last question of the poll sounds (unless, of course, the President's Office decides to shuffle everything). But what kind of memorandum is this?
The Budapest Memorandum was signed in December 1994 by the leaders of four countries — Ukraine, Russia, Great Britain and the United States. Leonid Kuchma, Boris Yeltsin, John Major and Bill Clinton put their signatures, respectively.
The essence of the document is that Ukraine renounces the nuclear weapons that our country inherited from the USSR. In return, the other three states participating in the memorandum undertook a number of obligations:
— respect the sovereignty of Ukraine;
— to refrain from encroachment on the territory of Ukraine;
— not to use any weapons against Ukraine;
— refrain from economic pressure that would threaten the sovereignty of Ukraine;
— if Ukraine becomes a victim of aggression with the use of nuclear weapons, the UN Security Council will seek assistance from the country;
— to consult with the four of them in the event that the obligations will not be observed.
When the memorandum was adopted, the Verkhovna Rada supported it with its majority. Then the document was not mentioned until 2014, until the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas. Then Ukraine accused Russia that Moscow violated the terms of the memorandum. The document was mentioned from time to time, but only in passing, including the current President Zelensky. Now, according to many experts, this has become a key issue in the upcoming All-Ukrainian poll.
Why did you suddenly remember?
Thus, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom guaranteed the sovereignty of Ukraine in return for the refusal of nuclear warheads. Judging by the question that, most likely, Zelensky himself will voice one of these days, the president is interested in Ukrainians: should our country ask the USA and Britain for help to preserve sovereignty. In simple terms, Zelensky can ask these two countries to intervene in the military conflict in eastern Ukraine.
On the one hand, all this reminds of pure pre-election PR: it is hard to believe that someone will provide military assistance to Ukraine, risking starting a war with Russia. After all, the intervention of the USA and Great Britain can lead to extremely serious consequences, up to a major war. And if this has not been done in the last six years, then, in all probability, it will not be done.
However, it is worth remembering that in September NATO forces conducted large-scale exercises in Ukraine and, among other things, carried out strikes on the territory of Russia and Belarus. And not so long ago, Zelensky went to Britain to enlist the support of the royal family and meet with the head of the British My-6 intelligence
There is another option to "protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" — military bases of the United States and Great Britain may appear in our country. And even without taking part in a military conflict, they can become a serious deterrent for Russia.
Therefore, we will find out in the near future whether Zelensky's latest statement is pre-election PR or a serious call for specific actions.
