Changes

But the case of Ukraine was unique. Ethnic Ukrainians wanted out of the Russian orbit. But the territory of Ukraine is inhabitted by nearly 50% ethnic Russians, too, who wanted to maintain close ties to Russia. The official US State Department's position under President [[George Herbert Walker Bush]] at the time was that the Ukraine should remain a sovereign republic within the Russian Federation. Bush argued as much in a speech written by [[Condoleezza Rice]] to the Ukrainian parliament. But the Clinton's took over in early 1993, and caved in to Ukrainian [[nationalist]]s. In exchange for US recognition of a Ukraine independent of the Russian Federation, Ukraine would give up its nuclear stockpile from the Soviet era, and the US would guarantee Ukraine's security, should the Russians ever invade. The agreement reeked a lot like the assurances Great Britain and France gave Poland at the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in 1919 that bound them to war with [[Hitler]] in 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland.

But the case of Ukraine was unique. Ethnic Ukrainians wanted out of the Russian orbit. But the territory of Ukraine is inhabitted by nearly 50% ethnic Russians, too, who wanted to maintain close ties to Russia. The official US State Department's position under President [[George Herbert Walker Bush]] at the time was that the Ukraine should remain a sovereign republic within the Russian Federation. Bush argued as much in a speech written by [[Condoleezza Rice]] to the Ukrainian parliament. But the Clinton's took over in early 1993, and caved in to Ukrainian [[nationalist]]s. In exchange for US recognition of a Ukraine independent of the Russian Federation, Ukraine would give up its nuclear stockpile from the Soviet era, and the US would guarantee Ukraine's security, should the Russians ever invade. The agreement reeked a lot like the assurances Great Britain and France gave Poland at the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in 1919 that bound them to war with [[Hitler]] in 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland.

Like the Treaty of Versailles, the [[American_foreign_policy#1994_Budapest_Memorandum_on_Security_Assurances|1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances]] negotiated by [[Bill Clinton]] lasted exactly 20 years. Unlike the assurance Great Britain and France who went to war with [[Nazi Germany]], when the agreement was violated, Barack Obama broke the pledge Clinton had committed the United States to.

Like the Treaty of Versailles, the [[American_foreign_policy#1994_Budapest_Memorandum_on_Security_Assurances|1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances]] negotiated by [[Bill Clinton]] lasted exactly 20 years. Unlike Great Britain and France who went to war with [[Nazi Germany]] when the agreement was violated, Barack Obama broke the pledge Clinton had committed the United States to.