Ukraine’s Nuclear Disarmament

Edited by Svitlana Krasynska
Introduction by Paul J. D'Anieri
Translated by Lidia Wolanskyj, Svitlana Krasynska, and Olena Jennings

In 1994, Ukraine gave up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal and signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty in exchange for security “assurances” from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Two decades later, in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and launched a war in eastern Ukraine, breaking those very promises.

Kostenko provides an insider’s view of the negotiations, revealing the internal debates, international pressures, and strategic crossroads that Ukraine faced in the early stages of its independence. Based on documents previously unavailable in English, this book questions the decisions made and the consequences that followed. Was the complete and immediate destruction of Ukraine’s vast nuclear arsenal the strategically right decision for Ukraine? Could history have played out differently?

Ukraine’s Nuclear Disarmament: A History is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the roots of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the lessons the world must learn.