U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
FACT SHEET: SAFE AND SECURE DISMANTLEMENT OF NUCLEAR
WEAPONS IN THE NEW INDEPENDENT STATES
SEPTEMBER 21, 1994
PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The U.S. Congress established the Nunn-Lugar program authorizing Department of Defense funds to be spent in the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union for the non-proliferation and safe and secure dismantlement (SSD) of nuclear weapons. The Defense Department will commit a total of about $961 million in the form of 38 implementing agreements with Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus in fiscal year 1994.

SSD assistance facilitates the denuclearization of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine and the dismantlement of weapons in Russia. Preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is another important goal; the U.S. will continue to use its assistance for this critical problem as well.

Russia. The U.S. has signed 12 agreements with Russia totaling $374 million in assistance. The two top priorities for this assistance have been strategic nuclear delivery vehicle dismantlement and construction of a storage facility for fissile material removed from dismantled weapons. Recent discussions have focused on concluding agreements on export control.

Ukraine. Following completion of the SSD umbrella agreement in October 1993, the U.S. signed five implementing agreements with Ukraine in November and December: export control, government-to-government communication links, material controls and accounting, strategic nuclear delivery vehicle dismantlement, and emergency response. After Ukraine signed the Trilateral Statement in January 1994 providing for the transfer of all nuclear weapons in Ukraine to Russia for dismantlement, the U.S. agreed to an additional $100 million in assistance to facilitate implementation. This assistance, including heavy equipment such as cranes, facilitates the removal of warheads from Ukraine to Russia for dismantlement.

Kazakhstan. In December 1993, the U.S. and Kazakhstan signed an umbrella agreement and implementing agreements on export control, government-to-government communication links, material controls and accounting, strategic nuclear delivery vehicle (SNDV) dismantlement, and emergency response for a total of $85 million. In March 1994, an additional agreement for $15 million in defense conversion assistance was signed. The two sides also signed a joint letter of intent that calls for a U.S.-led survey of the damage at the former nuclear test site near Semipalatinsk. (This survey was conducted in July 1994.)

Belarus. Following Belarus' ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and the nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty, the U.S. offered $65 million in SSD assistance in addition to the $11 million provided by agreements already concluded. As a result, the U.S. has signed agreements with Belarus totaling $70 million and continues to explore with Belarus the best use of the remaining $6 million.

SSD Projects by Country

                  Proposed Obligations 
                  ($ millions) 

RUSSIA 
Armored blankets                  5.00 
Railcar security                 21.50 
Emergency response               15.00 
Material controls                30.00 
Storage containers               50.00 
Facility design                  15.00 
Facility equipment               75.00 
Export controls                   2.26 
Science center                   25.00 
Chemical weapons                 25.00 
SNDV dismantlement              130.00 
Military to military contacts     9.20 
Arctic nuclear waste             20.00 
Chemical demilitarization lab    30.00 
Defense conversion               40.00 
Subtotal                        492.96 

UKRAINE  
Emergency response                5.00 
Communications                    2.40 
Export controls                   7.26 
Material controls                12.50 
Science center                   10.00 
SNDV dismantlement              185.00 
Military to military contacts     3.90 
Reactor safety                   11.00 
Defense conversion               40.00 
Subtotal                        277.06 

KAZAKHSTAN 
Emergency response                5.00 
Communications                    2.30 
Export controls                   2.26 
Material controls                 5.00 
Military to military contacts     0.40 
SNDV dismantlement               70.00 
Defense conversion               15.00 
Subtotal                         99.96 

 
BELARUS 
Emergency response                5.00 
Export controls                  16.26 
Communications                    2.30 
Environmental restoration        25.00 
  (Project Peace) 
Defense conversion               20.00 
SNDV dismantlement                6.00 
Military to military contacts     1.50 
Subtotal                         76.06 

GENERAL 
Support/assessment               15.00 

 

TOTAL                           961.04 

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