USCCB president recalls Ukraine’s relinquishing of its nuclear arsenal
December 06, 2024
» Continue to this story on USCCB
CWN Editor's Note: Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement on December 5 marking the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s relinquishing of its nuclear arsenal, “the third largest in the world at that time.”
“The Russian Federation, the United States, and the United Kingdom pledged to respect the ‘independence, sovereignty, and the existing borders of Ukraine,’” Archbishop Broglio recalled. “France and China variously echoed these promises. Unfortunately, this pledge was broken by the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion in 2022.”
“As the bitter conflict rages, with mounting civilian deaths and widespread displacement, we commemorate the time when the Ukrainian people opted for life, liberty, and peace, courageously envisioning a world free of nuclear weapons,” the prelate added.
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Dec. 08, 2024 4:25 PM ET USA
The Gorbachev Foundation Archive contains a record of a meeting on 8 February 1990 between Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. Secretary of State James Baker. During this meeting, Baker assured Gorbachev that "not an inch of NATO’s present military jurisdiction will spread in an eastern direction". Thus, from the dissolution of the USSR until 2022, the reconstituted Christian Russia had hoped the West would keep its reiterated promise that NATO would not expand "one inch eastward" from the German border.
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Dec. 06, 2024 6:48 AM ET USA
Unfortunately, the 2014 Obama-backed coup in Ukraine ended the legitimately-elected government and initiated an internal war by Kiev against the Russian-speaking population in the Donbass. Refreshingly, Pope Francis recognizes this reality and accordingly calls for a cessation of hostility towards the Donbass and Crimea. It has been reported that 90% of the citizens of Crimea voted in favor of alignment with Russia, not with the government in Kiev. Francis recognizes this plebiscite as well.
