Ukraine Leader Tells U.S. He Wants to Dump Atom Arms : Nuclear weapons: Afterward, Secretary of State Christopher announces $330 million in new aid for Kiev.

By DOYLE McMANUS

Oct. 26, 1993 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

KIEV, Ukraine — Secretary of State Warren Christopher announced $330 million in new U.S. aid for Ukraine on Monday after the country’s president said he wants to get rid of the more than 1,800 nuclear weapons he inherited from the Soviet Union.

But President Leonid Kravchuk also told Christopher that he was not sure that he could get his balky Parliament to go along, and asked for billions of dollars and help in defending his country from Russia in return for further steps toward disarmament, U.S. officials said.

Officials described the aid as a kind of sweetener to push the reluctant Ukrainians to start destroying their nuclear weapons, a move they have been loath to make because of their fear of neighboring Russia and because of the high cost of dismantling nuclear warheads.

“Today, President Kravchuk and leaders of the Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) reaffirmed . . . their aspiration for Ukraine to become a non-nuclear-weapon state,” Christopher told a news conference after his meetings.

Holding a conspicuous carrot before the Ukrainians, whose economy has fallen into a spiral of collapsing production and 70% inflation, Christopher said further steps toward disarmament “would give (the United States) great encouragement . . . to provide additional economic aid.”

But the Ukrainians’ response was more grudging than encouraging, reflecting their continuing debate over whether they really do want to get rid of their arsenal with a nuclear-armed Russia next door.

In a Washington press conference, President Clinton was asked about Ukraine resistance. “I understand their position, but I think it is not justified because we are making progress with Russia too in complying with all these agreements,” he replied.

Kravchuk told Christopher privately he does not know if he can persuade the Rada to approve the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which imposes a binding commitment to renounce nuclear weapons, a U.S. official said.

“I’ve got doubts,” the official quoted the Ukrainian as saying.

The chairman of the Parliament’s committee on foreign affairs, Dmytro Pavlychko, said ratifying the non-proliferation treaty is impossible and added that Ukraine might keep some of its nuclear missiles “for seven years, 10 years or 20 years.”

And Foreign Minister Anatoly Zlenko, sitting next to Christopher at a joint news conference, said dourly: “I can’t give you any promises.”

Even if Ukraine ratifies the disarmament agreement, Zlenko warned, it will not be able to implement it without both economic aid and security guarantees from the West.

Thus, while Kravchuk gave a strong personal promise to seek nuclear disarmament, he and other Ukrainian leaders made it clear that they have not yet reached a national consensus on the issue.

Still, Christopher aides said they were pleased with three things they got during the secretary of state’s 36-hour visit to Kiev.

First was the promise from Kravchuk to seek ratification of the non-proliferation treaty and the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty--although Kravchuk told them that he did not know how soon he could get both pacts through the Parliament.

Second was what officials described as “a clear, unambiguous statement” from the Ukrainian leader that he is still committed to dismantling all his country’s nuclear weapons.

Third, after months of indecision, the Ukrainians signed a technical agreement that will allow the United States to begin paying for the actual work of dismantling nuclear weapons.

“(This) will begin, in a very serious way, the process of dismantlement,” a senior U.S. official said. “I think that’s psychologically very important.”

Times special correspondent Mary Mycio contributed to this report.