The Budapest Memorandum, signed on 5 December 1994, was to supply Ukraine with safety in exchange for the resignation of the world's 3rd largest atomic arsenal. However, as the Ministry of abroad Affairs of Ukraine points out, this paper did not prevent Russia's aggression – neither the annexation of Crimea in 2014 nor the subsequent full-scale invasion launched in 2022. From Kiev's perspective, the Memorandum is "a reminder of shortsightedness in strategical safety decisions" and a informing against building safety systems at the expense of national interests.
