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The Documentary: The night Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons

The night Ukraine gave up Its nuclear weapons

14/06/2022 GMT

The night Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons

BBC World Service - The Documentary, The night Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons

Why did Ukraine give up its nuclear weapons in 1994 and how did it shape the world today?

It was a night of intense negotiation which would change the world order as Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons. Clive Myrie examines what was at stake in Budapest in 1994, how the deal was finally reached and how it went on to shape the world we face today.

Three decades ago, the newly independent country of Ukraine was briefly the third-biggest nuclear power on the planet. Thousands of nuclear arms had been left on Ukrainian soil after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But in the years that followed, Ukraine made the decision to denuclearise.

As Ukraine fights for its continued independence and the world hopes to stave off a catastrophic acceleration of nuclear weapons activity, Clive finds out how that agreement was negotiated and interpreted – and what it says about the situation we find ourselves in today. He talks to negotiators and others with an interest in those important diplomatic discussions 28 years ago.

Producer: Ashley Byrne
A Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service

(Photo: L-R, Presidents Clinton (US), Yeltsin (Russia) and Kravchuk (Ukraine) join hands 14 January 1994 after signing the nuclear disarmament agreement in the Kremlin. Credit: Sergei Guneyev/Getty Images)

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