Ukraine's appeal to Budapest Memorandum could sway U.S. - expert

Oleksandr Kraiev, an expert at the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council, said this in comments to Ukrinform.

"In fact, appealing to the Budapest Memorandum may, on the one hand, have a rather painful effect on the older generation of American diplomats, who are the primary decision-makers – it's like stepping on their calluses. But given that Ukraine now has to make difficult decisions and, diplomatically speaking, must be 'uncomfortable,' this approach is quite appropriate. It seems to me that it could have a positive effect," Kraiev said.

According to him, experienced American diplomats who were involved at the time of the adoption of the Budapest Memorandum still suffer from what is known as the "Budapest syndrome," as this event represents the greatest political, and even geopolitical, defeat for the United States since the end of the Cold War.

"This demonstrated that the United States is unable to fulfill its obligations, both to its partners and to the states it pressured into giving up certain national interests," the expert said.

He also pointed out that President Biden is currently in a rush to make as many decisions as possible.

"Issues such as ecology, transportation, energy, pardoning his own son, and decisions regarding the Middle East and Taiwan -- everything is happening very quickly. Therefore, we are, in a way, signaling to the current administration that quick decisions are needed here as well. At one point, the right decisions were not made, and lessons were not learned, so now it's time to untangle the mess," Kraiev said.

He clarified that, in his opinion, from the Ukrainian side, this appeal is not specifically directed at the document itself -- since it lacks explicit mention of security guarantees or support -- but rather to the "Budapest syndrome" that exists within part of American diplomacy. On the other hand, it is also an appeal to the current administration, which has been eager to make as many decisions as possible in recent months and weeks.

"And this is also an appeal to Biden's 'political ego,' as he is not just ending his presidency, but more than 50 years of career in American politics. He still needs to conclude it on a high note, so to speak, with flying colors. Therefore, it's hard for us to imagine that someone who has been dealing with the Ukrainian issue for over 15 years -- first as a senator, then as vice president in the Barack Obama administration, and now as president -- could leave office without a decision on Ukraine, particularly regarding NATO or full security guarantees," Kraiev said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, in a statement marking the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Budapest Memorandum, urged the United States and the United Kingdom -- the original signatories -- as well as France and China, which joined the document later, to support providing Ukraine with the only true security guarantee: full membership in NATO.

Photo provided by Oleksandr Kraiev