American-Ukrainian Nuclear Relations
Abstract
On June 1, 1996, the last strategic missiles were shipped from Ukraine to Russia, bringing to an end a contentious issue that had marred the early stages of U.S.-Ukraine relations. In welcoming this development, President Clinton stated, "I applaud the Ukrainian government for its historic contribution in reducing the nuclear ....... We remain committed to supporting Ukraine through its ambitious and far-sighted reforms and to working with Ukraine and our European partners to promote Ukraine's integration into the European community." Elimination of Ukraine's strategic warheads was a goal that had spanned two U.S. administrations and that had been at the center of Western concerns. There were many obstacles that had to be overcome on all sides. Through a combination of diplomacy and cajolling, Ukraine had undertaken a final ratification of the START Treaty in February 1994, and acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in November 1994. And in January 1994, in the Trilateral agreement, the United States, Ukraine, and Russia laid the foundation for the elimination of the warheads that was completed in 1996 and that led to President Clinton's positive assessment. This study examines the early history of U.S.-Ukraine relations over the nuclear weapons issue. It presents both the history of a 2-year period, 1992-1994, and posits a number of explanations as to why things developed the way they did. The goal is to establish a framework of this important period from which scholars can further proceed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA422258
Entities
People
- Roman Popadiuk
Organizations
- National Defense University