Виступ делегації України на засіданні високого рівня Генеральної Асамблеї ООН з нагоди Міжнародного дня за повну ліквідацію ядерної зброї

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Mr Chairman

We share the view that the use of nuclear weapons is the most serious threat that humankind faces nowadays. For many years, Ukraine has been consistent in its call for the total elimination of nuclear weapons as a final purpose of nuclear disarmament and for strengthening the international nuclear non-proliferation regime as a tool to achieve this goal. We believe that it is essential to strengthen international cooperation in order to reinforce existing international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.

Pursuing this goal my country has demonstrated a proactive approach by abandoning its nuclear capability and acceding to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in November 1994, as well as by taking concrete steps to eliminate the use of highly enriched uranium for civilian purposes through the removal of all of its existing stocks from its national territory in March 2012.

Ukraine continues to regard the NPT as a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and renders comprehensive support to its effective implementation, further strengthening and universalization. Ukraine consistently stands for reducing the nuclear arsenals, stopping the modernization of nuclear weapons, and overall decrease of nuclear weapons’ role in military and strategic doctrines of the states.

However, we have to re-emphasize that the historic decision of Ukraine to renounce its nuclear weapons and to access the NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon state was largely based on the clear international security guarantees provided in writing in 1994, in particular in the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances signed by Ukraine, the US, the UK and the Russian Federation.

The State-signatories to the Memorandum “reaffirmed their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine, and that none of their weapons will ever be used against Ukraine except in self-defence or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations”.

Now Ukraine is confronting aggression by the nuclear weapon state. Brutal violation of the international obligations, including under the Budapest Memorandum, by the Russian Federation, undermined the whole UN-based security system. One can also recall in this regard the obligation of nuclear states contained in 2010 NPT Review Conference Final Document “to fully respect their existing commitments with regard to security assurances”.

Taking into account the aforementioned, we would like to stress again that full compliance with existing international obligations by all States is the main precondition of achieving the world free of nuclear weapons.

Mr Chairman

Today’s meeting is yet another opportunity to highlight the crucial importance of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in the international nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime.

Ukraine supports the universalization of the CTBT with a view that its entry into force will constitute a tangible stride in attaining the objective of a safe and peaceful world free of nuclear weapons. In this respect, Ukraine supported the Final Declaration to promote the entry into force of the CTBT issued at the Tenth CTBT Conference held on 20 September 2017 in New York.

The CTBTO has spent enormous resources on conducting the multilateral efforts aimed at strengthening the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, but still after 21 years passed as the Treaty was opened for signing and ratification, we are not able to “finish what we started”. We are confident that nuclear test moratorium voluntarily declared by different states plays a necessary but not sufficient role as it will never replace the legally binding nature of the Treaty.

Therefore, Ukraine calls upon all States which have yet to sign or ratify the CTBT, in particular the eight remaining Annex 2 States, to do so without delay.

Mr Chairman

The establishment of the internationally recognized nuclear-weapon-free zones on the basis of arrangements among the states of the region concerned enhances global and regional peace and security, strengthens the nuclear non-proliferation regime and contributes towards realizing the objectives of nuclear disarmament. The delegation of Ukraine underlines the importance of the establishment of zones free of all weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, where they do not exist, especially in regions of tension, such as in the Middle East.

Thank you.