Letter from Foreign Minister A. Zlenko to President L. Kravchuk on Draft Treaty on Security Guarantees

MINISTER

OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF UKRAINE

To the President of Ukraine

L.M. Kravchuk

Dear Leonid Makarovych,

For almost a year now the MFA of Ukraine has been conducting consultations with nuclear states in order to obtain from them guarantees of the national security of Ukraine in the context of acquiring in the future the status of a state that does not possess nuclear weapons. At present, thanks to the persistent efforts from our side, we have received from all nuclear states / permanent members of the UN Security Council the guarantees, which are provided in the form of unilateral political obligations of these states in relation to Ukraine.

Recently an idea of receiving guarantees of the national security of Ukraine in the form of a legally binding document is gaining increasing support in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. This idea has already been put forth by the members of the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada (V.V. Durdynets, D.V. Pavlychko) during contacts with American congressmen and officials. Even though it is too early to talk with certainty about the reaction to this proposal, we consider it appropriate to start working it out and negotiating with relevant states. 

In connection to this we are sending you a draft of a multilateral agreement developed by the specialists of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine regarding the national security of Ukraine for attachment to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

It is expected that the parties to the Agreement will include Ukraine, as a state that, having inherited nuclear weapons of the former USSR on its territory, has the intention to acquire the status of a state that does not possess nuclear weapons, as well as states / permanent member of the UN Security Council: China, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, USA and France. 

The draft of the Agreement determines in a legally binding form the guarantees of the national security of Ukraine from the side of the nuclear states / permanent members of the UN Security Council as a result of Ukraine's accession to the NPT.

In case of your approval of the text of the Agreement we would consider it appropriate to discuss it first with the USA. This can be done at the consultations with Ambassador S. Talbott, who is arriving on 6 June of this year to Kyiv, with the US Minister of Defense L. Aspin.

Later, together with your letter the text of the Agreement could be sent to the heads of states / permanent members of the UN Security Council with a proposal to hold negotiations in Kyiv (or, perhaps, in New York, which is appropriate from the point of view that the UN Security Council is based there) about the adoption of this Agreement.

I ask for your consideration.

Attachment: the above mentioned 4 pages. 

With respect,

Minister [signature] A. M. Zlenko