Ukraine
Ukraine boycotted the negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017 and has voted against the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty since 2023. From 2018 to 2022, it abstained from voting on the resolutions. Ukraine maintains policies and practices that are compatible with all of the prohibitions in Article 1 of the Treaty, and can therefore sign and ratify it without the need for a change in conduct.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1994) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 2001, Annex 2 state) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1998) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2006) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1975) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1998) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Test | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted no (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | No |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Did not vote |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
In October 2024, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, recalled his country’s decision in the early 1990s to relinquish the nuclear weapons that it had inherited upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, in exchange for security commitments from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia under the Budapest Memorandum.1 Given the failure of that initiative to prevent Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, his country is left with two options, he said. ‘Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons – and then it will be a defence for us – or Ukraine will be in NATO.’ He later emphasised, however, that Ukraine has no intention of developing nuclear weapons.2
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Ukraine condemned Russia’s ‘irresponsible nuclear rhetoric’, its deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus, and the suspension of its participation in New START. ‘Such actions undermine the foundations of non-proliferation and disarmament globally, thereby eroding security for all,’ it said.3
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Ukraine said: ‘Despite the ongoing Russian aggression, Ukraine continues to comply with the provisions of the NPT and remains a responsible participant in the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.’4
Recommendations
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Ukraine should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.