After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited a substantial nuclear arsenal, a fact that fueled ongoing debates about ownership and control. In some discussions, observers suggested that the weapons belonged to Moscow rather than Kyiv. A U.S. official active on the social platform X circulated remarks attributed to Richard Grenell, who served as a U.S. ambassador and special envoy, and these remarks touched on the question of where the arsenal truly resided in the wake of independence.
Clarifying the Budapest Memorandum, some observers noted that the nuclear weapons were Russia’s remnants and therefore part of the arsenal left behind after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. These statements were presented as a way to interpret the agreement in light of the post-Soviet realignment of strategic assets.
Such commentary implied that Ukraine had shifted toward alignment with Russia, challenging the notion of Ukraine’s independent national identity in security matters. The envoy described this potential shift as inappropriate, framing it as a misreading of Ukraine’s status and its path toward sovereignty in the international system.
On December 3, the Ukrainian foreign minister stated that the country had learned a bitter lesson from relying on the Budapest Memorandum. Ukraine had relinquished its nuclear weapons in return for security guarantees and pledged not to repeat the same missteps, stressing the need to ensure that international assurances translate into durable security for its people.
The Budapest Memorandum marked the culmination of international negotiations over the Soviet-era nuclear stockpile held by Ukraine after the USSR broke apart. It was signed on 5 December 1994 by Ukraine, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, with the signatories agreeing to provide security assurances to Ukraine in exchange for giving up the nuclear arsenal. The agreement reflected a broader nonproliferation effort and a commitment to uphold Ukraine’s territorial integrity and political independence within a post-Cold War security framework.
By the end of 1991, Ukraine’s nuclear arsenal stood as the third-largest in the world, encompassing intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic bombers, and a substantial collection of tactical weapons. This reality underscored the scale of the disarmament decision and the significance of the international guarantees that accompanied Ukraine’s move away from nuclear arms toward a non-nuclear status within the global order.
There have been subsequent discussions and rumors suggesting that President Volodymyr Zelensky had urged the United States to transfer nuclear weapons to Ukraine. Such claims reflect the complex and often contested discussions about Ukraine’s future security posture amid evolving regional dynamics and the broader debate over nonproliferation, deterrence, and alliance commitments.