**US Envoy Says Nuclear Arms in Ukraine Belonged to Russia**
The US President‘s Special Envoy, Richard Grenell, said on March 25 that the nuclear arsenal left in Ukraine after the Soviet Union collapsed belonged to Russia. He called it an “uncomfortable fact.”
Grenell said that Ukraine gave up its nuclear arms in 1994 when it signed the Budapest Memorandum. In exchange, Ukraine received security assurances from major powers, including the US and Russia. However, these guarantees failed to stop Russia’s aggression in Crimea and Donbas.
**Contradicting Views**
Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer contradicted Grenell’s view, saying that nuclear warheads in Ukraine were not Russian but belonged to the Soviet Union. He said that stored warheads were in sole Ukrainian custody while intercontinental ballistic missiles and bomber planes were eliminated or sent to Russia.
**Support for Grenell’s View**
US Senator Mike Lee supported Grenell’s view, saying that the nuclear arms didn’t belong to Ukraine. However, this opinion was not shared by all.
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