Zelensky requests foreign ministry to arrange Budapest memorandum summit

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has directed the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to call a summit conference of the Budapest Memorandum’s signatories.

The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States signed the Budapest Memorandum on December 5, 1994. Ukraine pledged to destroy its nuclear weapons as part of the pact, while Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom guaranteed Kiev's security.

Zelensky told the Munich Security Conference he "instructed the Foreign Ministry to convene a summit of the countries - signatories to the Budapest Memorandum. If it fails to take place or refuses to give Ukraine security guarantees, Kiev will recognize it as well as the clauses signed in 1994 as null and void." 

After meeting with UK foreign minister Liz Truss on February 10, 2022, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recalled at a news conference that the Budapest Memorandum was accompanied by a declaration, also signed by France and Ukraine, requiring all signatories to refrain from any violations of OSCE principles, including respect for the rights of ethnic minorities. 

Europe grants Ukraine 1.2 billion euros in economic support

European Council President Charles Michel warned Sunday that Brussels intended to impose further sanctions on Moscow if Russia strikes Ukraine, despite the considerable cost to EU states.

The EU chief, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, recognized that economic sanctions placed on the Kremlin would be painful for EU members.

The President divulged that "One thing is certain: if there is further military aggression, we will react with massive sanctions. The cost for Russia must be and will be, severe. But let's be frank, it will also be a cost for us, in Europe."

The EU official also reaffirmed Brussels' unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democracy. He also claimed that Moscow considered any democratic government on its borders to be an existential threat.

Meanwhile, the situation around Ukraine has worsened over the past several months after the US and its allies accused Russia of preparing to "invade" its neighbor.

According to the US Embassy in Kiev last month, the US delivered 90,7 tonnes of lethal aid to Ukraine in a new "military assistance initiative" overseen by US President Joe Biden.

Russia has repeatedly denied having plans to attack any country but said it reserved the right to move troops inside its sovereign territory as it sees fit, as part of defending its security. 

Moscow has also warned that NATO's plans to expand further eastward, including in Ukraine, represent a threat to its national security.