THE BUDAPEST MEMORANDUM AND INTERNATIONAL GUARANTIEES FOR UKRAINE

The period of late 80's - early 90's was marked by increase in national consciousness in Ukraine. However, worth noting, that in those time significant part of Ukrainians became a victim of illusions, widely spread by eurooptimists. As the result of great confidence in the "international guarantees" Ukraine has fell into complete dependence from Moscow for more than 20 years.

The reason for this is quite simple. The point is that the Western elites used to pursue their own goals in East European region in that time. FIrst of all - to create an appropriate conditions for further liberalization of the post-Soviet area, and first of all in the the Russian Federation (in particular, the US did a lot in 90's to prevent the RF collapse), not to provide assistance to the states like Ukraine or ensuring of their territorial integrity (as Ukraine's democrats believed).  The situation became perfectly clear when Yeltsin came to power in result of the collapse of politically helpless Gorbachev's government. Let us remind that the Western leaders used to ignore the Kremlin's foreign military operations. No one said a word against carpet bombings in Grozny, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as against the creation of Kremlin-puppet Transnistrian republic. In this geopolitical situation Ukraine's interests  had a "second-rate" character compared with the main goal - establishing of a new and stable liberal world order. And one of major roles in this New World Order was given to Russia.

In general, the emergence of an independent Ukrainian state on the map of East Europe wasn't profitable for the Western elites, and they have repeatedly stressed on this. In general, the emergence of an independent Ukrainian state on the map of East Europe wasn't profitable for the Western elites, and they have repeatedly stressed on this. Let us recall George H. W. Bush's "Chicken Kiev speech." Recall, on August 1, 1991 (just 24 days before the proclamation of the Act of Independence of Ukraine) he made a speech in the session hall of the Parliament Ukrainian Soviet Republic, in which the US president expressed his full support to Gorbachev's project of "new union contract," and added that the plans of the Union republics to declare independence is nothing else, as an act of "suicidal nationalism." Another striking example we would like to recall took place in early 90's in France, when in one of his interview Valery Giscard d'Estaing allowed himself to say that Ukraine is the same part of Russia as Ile-de-France is a part of France.

As a matter of fact, both the US and Canadian government embraced the idea of Ukraine's independence with skepticism. In this regard it is worth noting active social position of the Ukrainian diaspora in these countries as well as  pro-Ukrainian lobby among the US and Canadian conservatives and military since the days of the Cold War. And the main thing - any attempt to challenge the USSR formal collapse after the Belovezh agreements would be would be identical to delegalization of Yeltsin in favor of helpless Gorbachev.

It goes without saying, that the agreement between Clinton and Yeltsin on Ukrainian nuclear weapons meant in fact that Ukraine had to remain into the Kremlin's influence zone. The time has proven, that the "guarantees and commitments" before Ukraine, provided by the Budapest memorandum were just a formality, which is not compulsory for fulfillment.

by Olexandr Maslack, source: AzovPress