The Budapest Memorandum – is it binding or non-binding instrument?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18778/2300-1690.20.09Keywords:
Ukraine, Russia, nuclear weapons, aggression, international agreementAbstract
The aim of the article is to analyze the Memorandum on security assurances in connection with Ukraine’s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons signed in 1994 by Ukraine, Russia, the USA and the United Kingdom, also called the Budapest Memorandum. The purpose of the instrument was to assure Ukraine about its safety, in exchange for the transfer of nuclear weapons located on Ukrainian soil. After the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014, the Memorandum became one of the most frequently invoked instruments violated by Russia. The article answers the question about the status of the Memorandum – whether it is a binding legal act or nonbinding instrument; it also indicates the consequences of such a conclusion.
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