    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [June 1, 1996]
    [Pages 849-850]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Arms Reduction Agreements With Russia and Ukraine
    June 1, 1996

        Ukrainian President Kuchma has announced that all nuclear warheads
    have been removed from the territory of Ukraine. This is a remarkable
    achievement. In 1991, there were more than 4,000 strategic and tactical
    nuclear warheads in Ukraine. Today there are none. I applaud the
    Ukrainian Government for its historic contribution in reducing the
    nuclear threat. When the Presidents of Ukraine, Russia, and I signed the
    January 1994 Trilateral Statement on this issue, we looked forward to a
    day that has now arrived.
        The trust and cooperation the United States and Ukraine have
    established in resolving this issue are a cornerstone of a broad and
    productive relationship. Ukraine has embarked on a bold course of
    political and economic reform, laying the foundations for democracy and
    a market economy. We remain committed to supporting Ukraine through its
    ambitious and far-sighted reforms and to working with Ukraine and our
    European partners to promote Ukraine's integration into the European
    community.
        I also want to note the fact that both the United States and Russia
    are ahead of the reduction schedule provided for in the START I Treaty.
    To date, the United States has eliminated 750 strategic nuclear delivery
    vehicles, and about 800 strategic nuclear delivery vehicles in the
    former Soviet Union have been eliminated, including more than 700 in
    Russia. The Cooperative Threat Reduction (Nunn-Lugar) program has played
    a major role in the elimination of these weapons in the former Soviet
    Union and in the denuclearization of Ukraine.
        I have asked Secretary Perry to meet next week with his Ukrainian
    and Russian counterparts, Ministers Shmarov and Grachev, and mark the
    successful implementation of the Trilateral Statement by visiting a
    destroyed ICBM silo and a former nuclear weapons storage facility in
    Ukraine. In doing so, they will celebrate another important step in
    making the world safer for us all.
        On this day of important milestones, I also welcome the agreement
    that was reached today in Vienna by the 30 nations party to the
    Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. This agreement resolves a
    difficult problem that had arisen concerning the level of Russian and
    Ukrainian military equipment allowed on the northern and southern flank
    of the CFE region.
        This agreement is the culmination of 2 years of negotiations led by
    the United States. I congratulate all parties, including our NATO
    allies, Russia, Ukraine, and the states of the Caucasus and Central and
    Eastern Europe, for their hard work, cooperation, and dedication to
    preserving the integrity and effectiveness of this crucial treaty.
        The CFE Treaty is a key element of a new, more stable Europe. The
    treaty has resulted in

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    the destruction of over 50,000 tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery
    pieces, combat aircraft, and attack helicopters. It has also established
    a system of transparency measures which will increase confidence through
    on-site inspections, notifications, and information exchanges.