The three memoranda were originally signed by three nuclear powers: Russia , the United States and the United Kingdom. Ambassador Donald M. Blinken amongst others in attendance, [ 3 ] prohibited Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom from threatening or using military force or economic coercion against Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, "except in self-defence or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
According to the three memoranda, [ 6 ] Russia, the US and the UK confirmed their recognition of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine becoming parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and effectively removing all Soviet nuclear weapons from their soil, and that they agreed to the following:. Partly as a way to gain international recognition, the Ukrainian government made commitments early on that Ukraine would be a non-nuclear weapon state.
The Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine on 16 July committed Ukraine "not to accept, produce, or acquire nuclear weapons," although this was opposed by some Ukrainian politicians who saw Russia as a threat. Ukraine went through a period of internal debate on their approach. On 23 May , Russia, the U. The protocol committed Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to adhere to the NPT as non-nuclear weapons states as soon as possible.
However, the terms for the transfer of the nuclear warheads were not agreed, and some Ukrainian officials and parliamentarians started to discuss the possibility of retaining some of the modern Ukrainian built RT SS missiles and Soviet built warheads. In , two regiments of URN SS missiles in Ukraine were withdrawn to storage because warhead components were past their operational life, and Ukraine's political leadership realised that Ukraine could not become a credible nuclear military force as they could not maintain the warheads and ensure long term nuclear safety.
This caused severe public criticism leading to the resignation of Ukrainian Defence Minister Morozov. This caused U. This is my viewpoint from which I have not and will not deviate. On 15 December , U. Vice President Al Gore visited Moscow for a meeting. Following side discussions, a U. S and Russian delegation, including U. Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Perry , flew to Ukraine to agree to the outlines of a trilateral agreement including U.
