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The USA is owed nothing by Ukraine or Zelenskyy [1]
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Date: 2025-03-01
One of the issues that seems to have been neglected in most of the news articles regarding the shocking, vulgar display of American perfidy in the Oval Office this week is the question of Ukraine’s “gratitude.” Did Zelenskyy say thank you? Has he said it enough? Did he show proper respect for Krasnov or the USA government? How much assistance has the USA provided and is it enough, too much, etc?
It appears the media want to proceed on the assumption that there’s a ‘blank slate’ as far as US assistance to Ukraine is considered. Krasnov is, naturally enough, happy to ignore this as well.
The media — and the Administration — need to be reminded, again and again, that the USA was a party to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum and made commitments to Ukraine to induce it (stupidly, in hindsight) to give up its nuclear weapons stockpile (at the time, Ukraine had the third-largest stockpile of such weapons). You can also access it here: policymemos.hks.harvard.edu/...):
Key commitments:
1. The United States of America . . . reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine . . . to respect the Independence and Sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine.
2. The United States of America . . . reaffirm their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine, and that none of their weapons will ever be used against Ukraine except in self-defense or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
3. The United States of America . . . reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine . . . to refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Ukraine of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind.
4. The United States of America . . . reaffirm their commitment to seek immediate United Nations Security Council action to provide assistance to Ukraine, . . if Ukraine should become a victim of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used.
The USA committed itself to abide by a number of commitments in the memorandum; so did Russia but we know the worth of Russia’s word. In my opinion, the USA has a moral — and legal — obligation to provide Ukraine with as much military assistance as it requires to defend itself, and frankly, that extends even to direct military intervention to defend the country against aggression. The aid provided to Ukraine since signing that memorandum is nothing more (and probably considerably less) than what the USA committed to do in the event of aggression against Ukraine or use of force against its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
More on the Memorandum is here: theconversation.com/...
America’s obligations were further extended by the OSCE’s participation in negotiating and signature to the “Minsk I” and “Minsk II” protocols. Those are accessible here: www.peaceagreements.org/… The USA is a member of the OSCE. Those protocols provided for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict initiated by Russia’s occupation of Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk, exchange of prisoners, “remov[al of] unlawful military formations, military hardware, as well as militants and mercenaries
from the territory of Ukraine,” and creation of a ‘security area’ on the border between Ukraine and Russia. Of course, Russia violated those agreements from Day 1.
There is no ‘blank slate.’ America is not acting out of generosity or kindness in providing assistance to Ukraine. It committed itself to these obligations when it became a party to these (and no doubt other) agreements.
So — to be blunt — while President Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian leaders have readily expressed thanks and gratitude for American support and military aid in defending itself against Russian aggression, it’s no more than what the USA is obligated to do. They’d be well within their rights to demand aid in fulfillment of the USA’s commitments, no thanks required.
More to the point, it’s no longer just a matter of the USA not fulfilling its commitments under the Budapest Memorandum. Under Krasnov — the USA has now violated the Budapest Memorandum on at least 2 occasions: Once in 2019, and again in the last few weeks in 2025. Specifically, the USA has violated clause 3 of the Memorandum (quoted above).
Krasnov’s 2019 ‘perfect phone call’ attempt to extort President Zelenskyy into helping conjure ‘trumped up’ allegations about Biden’s corruption in Ukrainian affairs (prosecution) by withholding military assistance already appropriated by Congress, would be a violation of clause 3 of the Budapest Memorandum. Likewise, Krasnov’s attempt in 2025 to extort Ukraine into signing a BS mineral rights concession for the promise of continued military assistance is likewise a violation of clause 3 of the Budapest Memorandum. First time, perhaps, was just an error by a president not particularly attentive to details. Second time, it’s intentional.
So congratulations America. You’ve now violated a treaty signed for the protection of an ally and friendly nation — making us little better than Russia.
In short, gratitude is nice. I get it. But don’t overlook the fact that we owe assistance to Ukraine, or that we violate our binding commitments when we try to withhold or condition that assistance.
Given that the USA and Russia have violated their key commitments to Ukraine, Ukraine should consider itself no longer bound by any of them — it should immediately take measures to restore its nuclear deterrent since that’s the only security that’s worth a damn.
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