Changes

The United States took custody and control of Ukraine's obsolete nuclear stockpiles for disposal in exchange for assurances by the United States and NATO to safeguard Ukraine's independence. Ukraine was paid to give up the nuclear weapons stationed on its territory in exchange for a written pledge, should Ukraine ever be threatened or invaded, the United States would be there to intervene with military power.

The United States took custody and control of Ukraine's obsolete nuclear stockpiles for disposal in exchange for assurances by the United States and NATO to safeguard Ukraine's independence. Ukraine was paid to give up the nuclear weapons stationed on its territory in exchange for a written pledge, should Ukraine ever be threatened or invaded, the United States would be there to intervene with military power.

When the United States took custody of the weapons stockpile, the actual nuclear materials were 105% of what the accompanying paper inventory records represented, reflecting the [[corruption]] of the Soviet system and meaning no one had any idea how much nuclear material had ever been produced or where other unaccounted for materials may be located.

When the United States took custody of the weapons stockpile, the actual nuclear materials were 105% of what the accompanying paper inventory control logs stated, reflecting the [[corruption]] of the Soviet system and meaning no one had any idea how much nuclear material had actually ever been produced, or where other unaccounted for materials may be located.

By 1996, Ukraine had returned all of its operational nuclear warheads to Russia in exchange for economic aid and security assurances, and Ukraine became a non-nuclear weapon state party to the 1968 nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). The last strategic nuclear delivery vehicle in Ukraine was eliminated in 2001 under the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). It took years of political maneuvering and diplomatic work, starting with the Lisbon Protocol in 1992, to remove the weapons and nuclear infrastructure from Ukraine.<ref>[https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Ukraine-Nuclear-Weapons  ]</ref>

By 1996, Ukraine had returned all of its operational nuclear warheads to Russia in exchange for economic aid and security assurances, and Ukraine became a non-nuclear weapon state party to the 1968 nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). The last strategic nuclear delivery vehicle in Ukraine was eliminated in 2001 under the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). It took years of political maneuvering and diplomatic work, starting with the Lisbon Protocol in 1992, to remove the weapons and nuclear infrastructure from Ukraine.<ref>[https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Ukraine-Nuclear-Weapons  ]</ref>