Basic principles for the recycling of nuclear warheads from strategic nuclear forces deployed in Ukraine


The Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Ukraine hereinafter referred to as the Parties, have agreed on basic Principles for the recycling of nuclear warheads from strategic nuclear forces deployed in Ukraine:

1. Dismantling and transport

(a) The Parties shall guarantee conditions for removal by the Parties of all types of nuclear warheads from ICBMs and the transfer of these warheads, and also front sections from nuclear ALCMs, to the territory of the Russian Federation with a view to dismantling and recycling.

(b) The implementing agencies of the Parties shall cooperate in the removal, transport and storage of these warheads, and shall be guided by the provisions of the 1992 agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation concerning the procedure for the transfer of nuclear munitions from the territory of Ukraine to central locations in the Russian Federation for the purposes of dismantling and destruction.

(c) The Parties shall guarantee security in the process of the operation and removal of nuclear warheads from the missiles and their transport in accordance with current technical requirements and standards regarding nuclear weapons. In this regard, the transport of the nuclear warheads shall be effected by and at the expense of the Russian Party. The Ukrainian Party shall be responsible for ensuring secure conditions for the movement of nuclear warheads on its territory.

(d) Operations for the implementation of paragraph 1 shall be effected in accordance with a schedule to be drawn up by the Parties and confirmed by their heads of government. Account shall be taken of the need to dismantle first of all nuclear warheads for which the time-limit for the use or storage of munitions and individual components has already passed. Compensation for each nuclear warhead removed from Ukraine to the Russian Federation shall be effected within one year after the date on which the warhead crosses the border between the Parties.

2. Procedure for reimbursing the value of nuclear materials

(a) All the highly enriched uranium (approximately 50 metric tonnes removed from nuclear warheads under the present agreement shall be reprocessed in the Russian Federation into low-grade uranium.

(b) The principles governing accounting for such uranium shall include the following:

    (b) (1) Neither of the parties shall subsidize the other.
    (b) (2) No profit, no loss.

    (b) (3) Prices and expenses to take account of inflation and changes in the world market.

    (b) (4) The Russian Federation shall deliver to Ukraine fuel assemblies for nuclear power stations. Compensation for expenses incurred by the Russian Federation in supplying the assemblies for Ukraine shall be made through the sale of uranium extracted from strategic nuclear warheads deployed in Ukraine.

(c) weapon-grade plutonium extracted from strategic warheads deployed in Ukraine shall be stored in the Russian Federation until such time as the Parties adopt a decision on its recycling.

Ukraine shall receive the value of the weapon-grade plutonium a. it is sold, less costs and expenses incurred by the Russian Federation in recycling it.

(d) Non-nuclear components of strategic nuclear weapons extracted from nuclear warheads deployed in Ukraine shall be recycled on terms to be agreed by the Parties.

(e) The Parties shall ensure transparency as regards accounting for the nuclear materials and their value in their activities under (a), (b) (4) and (c).

(f) Fuel assemblies for nuclear power stations in Ukraine shall be supplied on the basis of annual contracts between the implementing agencies of the Parties.

(g) In cases where uranium extracted from warheads located on the of Ukraine is sold on the world market, tripartite agreements may be concluded guaranteeing that the Parties will receive appropriate shares f the value of the products.

The validity of the present basic principles shall be the same as that of the agreement of 3 September 1993 between the Government of the Russian , Federation and the Government of Ukraine concerning the recycling of nuclear warheads.

For the Government of the Russian Federation
V. Chernomyrdin
For the Government of Ukraine
L. Kuchma