3/24/99: UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT CALLS
FOR NON-NUCLEAR STATUS REVISION Reacting to NATO's air strikes against
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada adopted a
resolution, the fourth clause of which states "The Cabinet of Ministers
of Ukraine shall submit to the Supreme Council a draft law on cancelling
the decisions and renouncing Ukraine's obligations concerning its non-nuclear
status."[1] Over 66 percent of the deputies approved the resolution.[2]
In response, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma stated that Ukraine
is not able to independently maintain nuclear weapons. He stressed that
this was the key factor influencing the decision to give up its nuclear
weapons and that it is impossible to "turn back."[3] Ukrainian Foreign
Minister Borys Tarasyuk responded to this development by stating that Ukraine
has to observe international agreements on its non-nuclear status.[4] According
to Tarasyuk and Kuchma's press secretary, the deputies' decision was emotional.[2,4]
Ukraine's non-nuclear status is codified in Ukraine's constitution[5] and
is further re-affirmed in the declaration "On the State Sovereignty of Ukraine"
adopted in 1990. Since then, Ukraine has re-confirmed its status as a non-nuclear
weapon state in numerous documents.[2]
Sources: [1] "Zayavleniye press-sluzhby Verkhovnoy
rady Ukrainy," Estonskoye Agentstvo Novostey ETA, 25 March 1999; in Natsionalnaya
sluzhba novostey, http://nel.nns.ru. [2] "V Kieve zatoskovali o yadernoy
bombe," Vremya MN, http://www.mosinfo.ru:8080/news/.../0325-2.html,
25 March 1999. [3] UNIAN, 29 March 1999; in "Ukraine
Cannot Maintain Nuclear Weapons "Independently" - Kuchma," Lexis-Nexis
Academic Universe, http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe. [4] UNIAN, 25 March 1999; in "Tarasyuk:
Ukraine Must Adhere To Non-Nuclear Status," FBIS Document FTS19990330000936. [5] "Parlament prinyal resheniye ob
otmene bezyadernogo statusa," Ekonomicheskoye obozreniye Logos Press, 29
March 1999; Natsionalnaya sluzhba novostey, http://nel.nns.ru.
{Entered 4/1/99 SK}
12/5/94:UKRAINE ACCEDES TO NPT AS NON-NUCLEAR
WEAPON STATE Ukraine formally acceded to the NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon
state party at a ceremony at the CSCE conference in Budapest. The United
States, United Kingdom, and Russia, in turn, gave Ukraine a signed document
providing security guarantees. France and China issued similar unilateral
guarantees.
["Ukraine Renounces Nuclear Arms, START-I Enters Force,"
REUTER, 12/5/94; in EXECUTIVE NEWS SERVICE, 12/5/94.]
11/16/94: UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT WILL ACCEDE TO NPT BUT
NEEDS SECURITY GUARANTEES The Ukrainian Parliament voted to accede to the NPT with
several reservations. The vote was 301 to 8 with 20 abstentions. The reservations
include a provision that Ukraine receive signed security guarantees from
the nuclear states.
[RADIO UKRAINE WORLD SERVICE (Kiev); in "Text Of Resolution
Detailing NPT Reservations," FBIS, 11/16/94.]
5/23/92: UKRAINE SIGNS LISBON PROTOCOL Ukraine became a signatory to the Lisbon Protocol, under
which it was obligated to adhere to the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear
weapons state "in the shortest possible time."
[ARMS CONTROL TODAY, 6/92, pp. 34-35.]
NPT EXTENSION
At the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference, Ukraine
was a co-sponsor of the draft decision introduced by Canada to indefinitely
and unconditionally extend the Treaty.
5/12/95:UKRAINE URGES NUCLEAR STATES TO ELIMINATE
NUCLEAR ARSENALS Kostiantyn Hryshchenko, Deputy Foreign Minister and Deputy
Head of the Ukrainian delegation, stated that Ukraine's renunciation of
its nuclear weapons and decision to join the NPT did not mean that Ukraine
gave "its blessing to the eternal continuation of the now existing right
of the nuclear weapon states to possess their nuclear arsenals." He urged
the five nuclear powers to follow Ukraine's example and work toward the
complete elimination of nuclear weapons "in the shortest possible time."
Any foot-dragging on this issue is perceived by Ukraine as a breach of
the "strengthened and reinvigorated" NPT. Hryshchenko also emphasized that
he hoped that the continuing process of disarmament would provide new and
stronger incentives for the non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS) with nuclear
ambitions to abandon their desires for nuclear capability and accede to
the NPT swiftly. He urged the United States and Russia to ratify the START
II Treaty as soon as possible. The fact that the NPT was extended indefinitely,
Hryshchenko said, was a sign of trust on the part of the NNWS that the
nuclear weapon states (NWS) will fulfill their side of the bargain and
the NWS should strive to "justify (the trust) in the nearest future."
[STATEMENT by Kostiantyn Hryshchenko, at the Final Plenary
Meeting of the NPT Extension and Review Conference, New York, 5/12/95.]
4/27/95:HALAKA: UNCONDITIONAL NPT EXTENSION WILL
THREATEN NONPROLIFERATION Serhiy Halaka, vice-president of the Ukrainian Center of
International Political Studies, stated that Ukraine's number one priority
for the future should be the preservation of the nuclear nonproliferation
regime. He concluded that indefinite and unconditional extension of the
NPT would threaten the goal of nonproliferation. He supported extension
of the NPT for 25 year period(s). He urged the signing of the CTBT, early
ratification of START II by Russian and US legislative bodies, and further
talks on nuclear disarmament.
[STATEMENT by Serhiy Halaka, Vice-President of the Ukrainian
Center of International Political Studies, at the NGO meeting during the
NPT Review and Extension Conference, 4/27/95.]
4/18/95:UDOVENKO STATES NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONES
IMPORTANT Hennadiy Udovenko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
and Head of the Ukrainian delegation, made a statement at the NPT Review
and Extension Conference that lauded the NPT's success, but did not specifically
endorse indefinite and unconditional extension. In general he was enthusiastic
about the future of the NPT, which although not an "absolute or perfect
solution," is an important starting point. He also stated that this Review
and Extension Conference should concentrate attention on additional measures
for preventing the proliferation of nuclear arms, including the improvement
of the IAEA safeguards regime. According to Udovenko, "Ukraine proceeds
from the premise that the consideration of improvements in the global non-proliferation
regime should be inseparably linked to the broadening of international
cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy." The creation
of nuclear-weapon-free zones is important to Ukraine, as is improved communication
between suppliers and supplier groups.
[STATEMENT by His Excellency Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, Minister
for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference
of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,
New York, 4/18/95.]
1/25/95:UKRAINE HOPES UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA
WILL RATIFY START II BEFORE NPT REVIEW CONFERENCE Kostiantyn Hryshchenko stated during the Preparatory Conference
of the NPT Review and Extension Conference that Ukraine hoped the United
States and Russia would be able to ratify the START II Treaty before the
conference actually began in 4/95. He also urged the United Kingdom, China,
and France to take additional specific measures to reduce their nuclear
arsenals as soon as possible. According to some analysts, Ukraine's accession
to the NPT strengthens the case for an indefinite extension of the treaty.
It demonstrates to non-nuclear nations that they can achieve security through
other means and it also shows that Russia and the United States do not
discriminate in their pressure for countries to remain non-nuclear.
Source: [1] Kathleen Hart, "Ukrainian Ratification Of NPT Seen
Boosting Extension Conference," NUCLEONICS WEEK, 11/24/94, pp. 7-8. [2] UNIAN (Kiev), 1/25/95, in "Delegation Takes Part
in NPT Conference," FBIS-SOV-95-017, 1/25/95.
