Ukraine was once the 3rd largest nuclear power on Earth. Then it became the only country ever to give up those weapons

AP

FILE - In this image provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire following a Russian missile attack on the country's energy system in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, Dec. 25, 2024.

Synopsis

Ukraine became the third-largest nuclear power after the Soviet Union's dissolution but voluntarily gave up its arsenal under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security assurances. However, the last decade has seen Russian aggression undermine these guarantees, leading to the ongoing conflict and raising questions about long-term security.

Ukraine, in the aftermath of the Cold War, emerged as the third-largest nuclear power, inheriting a substantial stockpile of Soviet nuclear weapons. This included approximately 5,000 nuclear arms, along with long-range missiles capable of carrying up to 10 thermonuclear warheads. These weapons were stored in secret underground locations throughout the country.

Yet, despite controlling this formidable arsenal, Ukraine made the historic decision to give it up—becoming the only country ever to voluntarily relinquish its nuclear weapons. This decision would shape the course of the nation’s future and set the stage for the ongoing conflict with Russia, according to a report by the New York Times.

The decision to de-nuclearise

In the early 1990s, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine faced numerous complex challenges. Though it had physical possession of a large nuclear arsenal, Ukraine had no operational control over these weapons.

Russia retained the codes and the central command and control system necessary to launch them, leaving Ukraine without the capacity to use its nuclear stockpile independently. As experts note, the deterrent value of these nuclear weapons was questionable. Ukraine could not realistically rely on them for its defense due to the lack of control.

There were also significant geopolitical and economic considerations that pushed Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons. First, maintaining and securing such a large arsenal would have placed an immense strain on Ukraine’s already struggling economy.

Further, seeking operational control of the weapons could have led to severe diplomatic consequences. Allies, including the United States and NATO, might have withdrawn recognition, and Russia would likely have retaliated. The costs of sustaining the arsenal outweighed the perceived benefits.

International pressure to decommission the nuclear stockpiles in the former Soviet republics, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, led to the establishment of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program in 1991.

Under this initiative, the U.S. provided funding and expertise to assist these countries in dismantling nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. It was during this time that Ukraine entered into the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, in which it agreed to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The Budapest Memorandum promised that these signatories would respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and would refrain from using force or threats against it.

Should aggression occur, the signatories vowed to seek immediate action through the United Nations Security Council to help Ukraine. Between 1994 and 1996, Ukraine completed the process of denuclearization, with the last of its nuclear arms being transported to Russia by May 1996.