Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Forgotten Promises Forgotten Treaties



In 1994, President Bill Clinton, UK Prime Minister John Major, Russian Federation President Boris Yeltzin and President Leonid Kuchma of the Ukraine, signed a treaty agreement where the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia agreed to protect the borders of the new Ukraine.

They all agreed to the "The Budapest Memorandum" as part of the "denuclearization" of former Soviet republics after the dissolution of the Soviet Union,

In other words, these world leaders and their countries promised support, protection and intervention action, should anyone violate the sovereign borders of the Ukraine. More recently, President Barack Obama That was twenty years ago and the Ukriane's part of the agreement was to get rid of their nuclear arsenal and downsize their military. The Ukraine has gone from having nuclear strike capability and an army of over 900,000, to the present day where they have no nuclear capability and their army is less than 140,000

So....the bottom line today for the Ukrainian people is a promise of Barack Obama to stand with the world in condemnation of the Russian invasion. An invasion that he considers a concern and destabilizing.

And the British response?
   
Sir Tony Brenton, who served as British Ambassador from 2004 to 2008, said that war could be an option 'if we do conclude the [Budapest] Memorandum is legally binding.'
It promises to protect Ukraine's borders, in return for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons.
Kiev has demanded the agreement is activated after insisting their borders had been violated.

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