Moscow’s refusal to resolve the crisis caused by Russian troops on Ukraine’s border through diplomacy (FT View, January 17) sounds much like Hitler and the 1938 Munich crisis.
As everyone knows, Ukraine has never threatened Russian security in any way. Yet Russia continues to clearly violate its existing obligations under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances whereby, in return for Ukraine giving up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal, Russia guaranteed not to breach the territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea and the Donbas.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, ignores Russia’s obligations when he demands “ironclad . . . legally binding . . . guarantees” that Nato will deny Ukrainian membership and roll back to 1997 lines.
Russia’s acceptance of Ukraine’s borders is built on the 1991 Ukrainian referendum that saw all parts of Ukraine vote overwhelmingly for independence, both in the east, including Crimea and the Donbas, as well as the west, and in both predominantly Russian-speaking as well as majority Ukrainian-speaking areas (most Ukrainians speak both).
The result was not surprising given Ukraine’s history, including the Holodomor famine and Chernobyl.
Ukraine and Europe should not need another security agreement with Russia to protect Ukraine’s territory.
Bate C Toms
Chair, British-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, Kyiv, Ukraine
Letter: Why Ukraine says actions by Moscow violate a treaty
Pinoy Variant