Lethal weapons supplies to Ukraine to attest readiness of Budapest Memorandum signatories for honoring undertaken commitments – Foreign Ministry statement

Ukraine continues to view the Budapest Memorandum as an important instrument for ensuring the security of the country and believes that provision of lethal weapons would attest the full readiness of the Budapest Memorandum signatories for honoring the undertaken commitments.

This is said in the statement of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine on the occasion of the anniversary of signing the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

"Ukraine continues to view the Budapest Memorandum as an important international political and legal instrument for ensuring the security of Ukraine by the United States, the United Kingdom as well as France and China and demands that Russia fully complies with its obligations," the document reads.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Ukraine highly appreciates the actions of the United States, the UK and France which really confirm the support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, condemn the unlawful actions of the Russian side and take measures in response to aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

"We are sure that strengthening political support by means of practical aid to boost Ukraine's defense capability by providing lethal weapons should become an effective response to the growing threat from the Russian Federation. This step would attest the readiness of the Budapest Memorandum signatories for honoring undertaken commitments and strengthen the European security architecture," the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine states.

As a reminder, on December 5, 1994, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia signed the Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (the so-called Budapest Memorandum).

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