WASHINGTON, March 26. /TASS/. The nuclear weapons, which Ukraine had on its territory and gave up after the breakup of the Soviet Union, belonged to Moscow, not Kiev, US Special Presidential Envoy Richard Grenell said.
"Let’s be clear about the Budapest Memorandum: the nukes were Russia’s and were leftovers. Ukraine gave the nukes back to Russia. They weren’t Ukraine’s. This is an uncomfortable fact," he wrote on the X social network.
The Budapest Memorandum was signed by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States on December 5, 1994. Under it, Ukraine disposed of its nuclear arsenal, while Russia, the US and the UK issued security guarantees to Kiev, to be later joined by France and China.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in February 2022, Zelensky speculated that Kiev may reconsider its obligations under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which stipulates that Ukraine rejects nuclear weapons in exchange for guarantees of security.
Later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the emergence of even tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine would pose a strategic threat for Russia.