Russia is once again trying to distort the meaning of the Budapest Memorandum to create the illusion of a legal justification for armed aggression against Ukraine. This was stated by the Center for Countering Disinformation, reports UNN.
Details
They noted that Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova publicly stated that the 1994 document allegedly "guaranteed Ukrainians security," but supposedly "does not oblige Russia to forcibly keep parts of its territory within Ukraine."
She also stated that Ukraine allegedly lost its territorial integrity due to "internal processes" and "aggressive nationalism" long before the full-scale invasion.
The CPD emphasized that the Budapest Memorandum, signed by Ukraine, Russia, the USA, and Great Britain, explicitly records the obligation to respect the independence, sovereignty, and existing borders of Ukraine, as well as to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity of our state.
Zakharova's statement is a fabricated interpretation. The Memorandum obliged Moscow not to change Ukraine's borders by force. This is what Russia violated in 2014 and again in 2022.
They added that the Kremlin systematically produces absurd interpretations of international documents to manipulate international law and avoid responsibility for the aggressive war against Ukraine.
Recall
Earlier, ISW analysts concluded that the Kremlin's repeated violation of international law requires providing Ukraine with reliable security guarantees to prevent a resurgence of Russian aggression. Russia claims to be ready to legally formalize its intention not to attack EU and NATO countries, but its actions demonstrate the worthlessness of such promises.