By invading Ukraine, Russia has once again offended the nation`s sovereignty, and in doing so, breached the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. Russia is among the signatories of the agreement, which ensured respect for Ukraine`s borders and freedom from being invaded by Russia, in return for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons. Ukraine had around 1,700 nuclear warheads in 1994, more than the amount the United Kingdom, China, and France had put together. With the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world, the Ukrainian government now had a very strong deterrent to Russian aggression, but also a bargaining tool. Powerful, but Dangerous Bargaining Tools The weapons Ukraine possessed were its...
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