Back in the 1990s, Ukraine reluctantly denuclearized after a proposal as radical as assuming operational control of Ukraine's nuclear missiles and bombers for defence against Russia was discussed.

Ukraine eventually agreed to nuclear disarmament in exchange for ironclad security guarantees, which became known as the Budapest Memorandum, which was signed by Russia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and stipulated that Ukraine's sovereignty and existing borders would be respected. However, the diplomatic feat's failure to contemplate Vladimir Putin's accession to power, who declared the pact as null and worthless, exposed its flaws, prompting many in Ukraine to regret their previous choice and support Ukraine's nuclear rearmament once more.

 Svitlana Zalishchuk, Ukraine's prime minister, asserts that handing up nuclear weapons was unquestionably a mistake. She claims that world nations possessing nuclear weapons are "untouchable" and hence "are not challenged with military force" because they may start a nuclear war, in sharp contrast to those that do not.

Although she mentions that security guarantees should be given to Ukraine because they gave up their nuclear weapons, this is disputed by some, who argue that the Budapest Memorandum was an assurance rather than a guarantee, and others who argue that the issue is more about Putin having nuclear weapons than Ukraine needing them.

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