Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity exposed the fragility of international agreements that lack enforcement mechanisms or clearly defined actions in the event of aggression. The failure to uphold the guarantees of the Memorandum created a dangerous precedent: a state that disarmed for the sake of global security was left without effective protection.
This story has become a warning to the entire world — from the erosion of trust in nuclear non-proliferation to the realization that the international security system requires profound renewal. The Budapest Memorandum demonstrated that political promises cannot deter an aggressor, and that security guarantees must be real, binding, and backed by mechanisms of accountability.
Speakers:
- Olha Butkevych, President of the Ukrainian Association of International Law, Doctor of Juridical Science, Professor at the Department of International Law, Educational and Scientific Institute of International Relations, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
- Pavlo Klimkin, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in 2014–2019
- Valeriy Chaly, Chairman of the Board of the Ukraine Crisis Media Center, member of the Ukrainian Association of International Law, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States in 2015–2019
- Moderator: Viktor Shlinchak, Chairman of the Board of the Institute of World Policy
The event will take place within the framework of the “United by Truth” project with the support of the Canada Ukraine Foundationanada Ukraine Foundation #unitedfortruth