TY - JOUR N2 - Ukraine, upon giving up the nuclear arsenal left on its territory by the USSR, entered in 1994 into a Memorandum on Security Assurances with the United Kingdom, United States and Russian Federation (Budapest Memorandum). Since the crisis began between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in February 2014, a number of States have invoked the Budapest Memorandum. Unclear, however, is whether this instrument constituted legal obligations among its Parties or, instead, is a political declaration having no legal effect. The distinction between political instruments and legal instruments is a recurring question in inter-State relations and claims practice. The present article considers the Budapest Memorandum in light of the question of general legal interest – namely, how do we distinguish between the legal and the political instrument? L1 - http://www.czasopisma.pan.pl/Content/106612/PDF-MASTER/5.%20Thomas%20D.%20Grant_%20The%20Budapest%20Memorandum%20of%205%20December%201994%2089-114.pdf L2 - http://www.czasopisma.pan.pl/Content/106612 PY - 2014 IS - No XXXIV DO - 10.7420/pyil2014e KW - treaties KW - legal obligations KW - political commitments KW - use of force KW - international security KW - non-proliferation and disarmament KW - general rule of interpretation KW - supplementary means of interpretation KW - subsequent practice KW - treaty text KW - treaty context KW - object and purpose KW - Budapest Memorandum KW - Russian Federation KW - Ukraine KW - United States KW - United Kingdom A1 - Grant, Thomas D. PB - Institute of Law Studies PAS PB - Committee on Legal Sciences PAS DA - 2014.12.15 T1 - The Budapest Memorandum of 5 December 1994: Political Engagementor Legal Obligation? UR - http://www.czasopisma.pan.pl/dlibra/publication/edition/106612 T2 - Polish Yearbook of International Law ER -