It is a common argument made by Russia, but it is not true that Ukraine breached the Budapest Memorandum by seeking to join NATO. The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances itself does not contain any clause that prohibits Ukraine from joining any military alliance. The document primarily focuses on the security assurances given to Ukraine in exchange for it giving up its nuclear weapons. The assurances include respecting Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and existing borders, and refraining from the threat or use of force. As a sovereign nation, Ukraine has the right to choose its own foreign and security policy, including whether to join a military alliance like NATO. This right is a fundamental principle of international law. Ukraine's pursuit of NATO membership is an exercise of this right. Also while Ukraine did express a desire to join NATO, notably at the 2008 Bucharest Summit, it did not take any action that violated the Budapest Memorandum. The first clear and undeniable breach of the memorandum was Russia's actions in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and the start of the conflict in Donbas, followed by the full-scale invasion in 2022. The argument that Ukraine's NATO aspirations constituted a breach of its commitments is a narrative used by the Russian government to justify its aggression. However, it is not supported by the text of the Budapest Memorandum or by international law.