DISINFO: Russia did not commit to protect Ukraine's territorial integrity
SUMMARY
Russia did not commit to force some Ukrainian territories, against the will of its people, to stay as part of Ukraine.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation claim that is part of a wider pro-Kremlin narrative aimed at making previous Russian security guarantees to Ukraine insignificant.
Following the collapse of the USSR, Russia did make international promises to keep Ukraine's territorial integrity to which the most telling example is the case of the Budapest Memorandum. The Memorandum was signed in December 1994 by Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Under the Memorandum, Ukraine promised to remove all Soviet-era nuclear weapons, which Ukraine received after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In exchange, the leaders of the United States, Russia and the United Kingdom signed the Budapest Memorandum with guarantees of the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.
The Budapest Memorandum says that not one of the countries that signed the document has the right to apply any kind of aggressive policy towards Ukraine. The second paragraph states that the signatories "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."
The EU has also noted that Russia violated several agreements by its actions against Ukraine, including the Budapest Memorandum.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives have repeatedly attempted to discredit Ukraine's right to territorial integrity and sovereignty. Explore similar cases here.