Thank you. That memo is not a treaty, ratified by our Senate. Second, Russia clearly broke the agreement. Third it only states that the US is obligated to provide assistance if a threat or act of aggression where nuclear weapons are used. As long as Russia does not use nuclear weapons (or threatens them!), we have no obligation in this agreement.
Also it does not specify assistance. Clearly the US has already assisted Ukraine in defending from the invasion from Russia. And clearly the US people are tired of assisting them. We have no alliance with Ukraine.
I'm not saying the US is bound by international law to follow this verbatim. I am saying that our stance here is exactly the motivation required to promote nuclear proliferation to any country that demands others respect their borders.
Iran and North Korea now have no diplomatic path to nuclear disarmament. America has no credible homeland ICBM defense, either, so we're playing a very dangerous game.
> clearly the US people are tired of assisting them
According to whom? 51% supported weapons/military aid at the end of February.[1] Unless the numbers moved, it doesn’t seem “clear” in either direction.
Current US Administration: How dare request security guarantees and point out Russia breaks their word more often then not!
Average US Administration supporter: The US didn't give Ukraine security guarantees in the Budapest Memorandum, how dumb of Ukraine to give up a trillion dollars of Nuclear weapons for literally nothing! Also, it was Russia that broke their word, not us!
Also, Russia has threatened the use of nuclear weapons, repeatedly. By claiming Ukrainian soil as theirs, then claiming they would defend "their" land, aka, Ukraine, with nukes. Even going so far as to use ballistic missiles that are only useful as nuclear weapon carriers due to their cost and low accuracy on normal bombardment of Ukraine's cities to create doubt on the Ukraine side whether the next Russian salvo against their cities and civilian population, will be a nuclear one.
Also it does not specify assistance. Clearly the US has already assisted Ukraine in defending from the invasion from Russia. And clearly the US people are tired of assisting them. We have no alliance with Ukraine.