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How many countries have nuclear weapons and how many are there?
How destructive are today’s nuclear weapons?
What about “nuclear deterrence” theory? Do nuclear weapons help keep the peace?
What is the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?
What is nuclear sharing and who is involved?
Can a NATO state join the TPNW?
What about the Middle East?
Why does this treaty matter if none of the countries with nuclear weapons have joined?
Did Ukraine give up nuclear weapons?
Why should one country give up its nuclear weapons if other countries still have them?
Why should countries that don’t have nuclear weapons care about this treaty?
What is the “Eurobomb” and why are European politicians talking about it?
What are "tactical" nuclear weapons?
What are 'dirty bombs'?
What are space nuclear weapons?
Who makes the decisions around the nuclear weapons stationed abroad?
What are the risks of nuclear sharing?
Is nuclear sharing legal?
Will the US and UK resume nuclear sharing at Lakenheath air base?
What is the nuclear test ban treaty and why has Russia revoked its ratification?
What is the New START Agreement and why has Russia suspended its implementation?
What are gravity bombs and why is the US building the new B61-13 nuclear weapon?
What about attacks on nuclear facilities?
Did Ukraine give up nuclear weapons?
Answer
When the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, there were thousands of former Soviet nuclear warheads, as well as hundreds of intercontinental ballistic missiles and bombers, left on Ukraine’s territory, which it decided to transfer to Russia. Ukraine never had an independent nuclear weapons arsenal, or control over these weapons, but agreed to remove former Soviet weapons stationed on its territory. In 1992, Ukraine signed the Lisbon Protocol and it joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state in 1994. The transfer of all nuclear material took some time, but by 2001, all nuclear weapons had been transferred to Russia to be dismantled and all launch silos decommissioned.
While some may ask if Russia would have invaded Ukraine if it still had Soviet nuclear weapons stationed on its territory, there is little convincing historical evidence that the possession or presence of nuclear weapons definitively prevents conflict, when many other variables may be considered, including the prohibition of the use of force under the UN Charter or even just luck. Even beyond this, it is not clear that Ukraine would have been able to take control of former Soviet nuclear weapons, technically or politically. What we do know is that the possession of nuclear weapons by Russia and the United States clearly has not prevented the threat of conflict between Russia and a U.S. ally or the potential humanitarian consequences of any conflict for civilians in the region. Read more about Ukraine and nuclear weapons.
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