After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine found itself in possession of a substantial nuclear arsenal. However, the financial strain and geopolitical uncertainties led Ukraine to voluntarily surrender its nuclear weapons. The Budapest Memorandum of 1994 provided assurances of security, but the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the support for separatist movements in Ukraine have exposed the inadequacy of these guarantees. The current conflict between Russia and Ukraine underscores the precarious nature of Ukrainian security in the absence of a nuclear deterrent.