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Former President Bill Clinton voices regret about the agreement that led to Ukraine giving up their nuclear weapons, as he believes it spawned the bloody war which resulted in over 40,000 civilian deaths. 

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has publicly expressed regret over an agreement his administration championed in 1994, one that led to Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons.

Speaking in an interview with RTE Prime Time, Clinton admitted that he “feels terrible” about the agreement, one which he believes directly led to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014. The agreement was intended to reduce tensions between Russia and Ukraine, but ultimately led to one of the most violent and deadly conflicts in Europe in recent memory, including over 40,000 civilian deaths to date.

The Clinton administration, along with the UK and Russia, had promised to respect Ukraine’s territorial boundaries in the Budapest Memorandum agreement, later in 1994, after Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear weapons. 

However, this promise was broken when Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea in 2014. Clinton stated that he knew that Putin did not support the agreement between Yeltsin and Kravchuk, and that he wanted Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons. Clinton added that Ukrainian officials were “afraid” to give up their nuclear weapons, as they believed they were the “only thing that protected them from an expansionist Russia.” Now, this fear appears even more credible as the invasion has persisted for years, causing immense, irreparable damage.

In the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine found itself in a position of weakness vis-à-vis its new neighbor, Russia. Ukraine’s weak infrastructure, coupled with a struggling economy, made it increasingly dependent on Russia – practically and politically.

Amid this vulnerability, the Clinton administration, along with the UK and Russia, convinced Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees. The agreement aimed to reduce tensions between Russia and Ukraine and pave the way for peaceful coexistence. However, as the conflict between the two nations continues, it is evident that the plan backfired, and the consequences continue to be devastating.

Since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, Ukraine’s security forces have been in conflict with Russian-backed separatists. The conflict has caused over 40,000 civilian deaths, with millions more displaced. The civil war continues to drag on, and there is no end in sight. The people of Ukraine remain under threat, and the international community has failed to find a peaceful solution. Despite the immense cost of human life, Russia remains undeterred and unrepentant for its actions against Ukraine.

Bill Clinton’s regret over the 1994 Ukraine nuclear agreement highlights the danger of underestimating the threat of emerging global powers, especially when dealing with their neighbors. The agreement led to the killing of over 40,000 civilians, mostly women and children, and caused immense damage to Ukraine. It is clear that Russia is using Ukraine to assert itself in the region, and if the world’s powers do not play their part, the conflict will continue indefinitely. Now is the time for the international community to find a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, even if it means that former global powers like the US must own up to their role in the problem. The world must do better for Ukraine’s people.

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