Sybiha: Bitter lessons of Budapest Memorandum show that Ukraine needs reliable security guarantees

While working to bring an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, it is important to remember the bitter lessons of the Budapest Memorandum.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha stated this on the social network X, Ukrinform reports.

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy recalled that 31 years ago, on this day, the Budapest Memorandum was signed — “A piece of paper that has become synonymous with a failed security arrangement.”

“Having had such a bitter experience in the past, Ukraine does not trust empty pledges anymore—we trust the strength of our army and weapons. Today, Ukraine needs robust security guarantees for a real, just, and lasting peace. As we work to put an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, it is important to remember the bitter lessons of Budapest,” Sybiha emphasized.

As reported, the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances was signed on December 5, 1994, by Ukraine, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, following Ukraine's agreement to relinquish the nuclear weapons it inherited from the USSR. In the memorandum, the guarantors pledged to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, to refrain from using force against Ukraine, and not to resort to economic or military coercion.

The memorandum did not contain any concrete enforcement or protection mechanisms; therefore, after the occupation of Crimea and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, its effectiveness proved doubtful, and the document itself became a symbol of empty international security assurances.

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