[Daaave]

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine held about one third of the Soviet nuclear arsenal, the third largest in the world at the time, as well as significant means of its design and production.

In 1993, international relations theorist and University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer published an article including his prediction that a Ukraine without any nuclear deterrent was likely to be subjected to aggression by Russia, but this was very much a minority view at the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction

[Brian Griffin]

“....totaling approximately 1,700 warheads remained on Ukrainian territory. Formally, these weapons were controlled by the Commonwealth of Independent States.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction

Imagine if North Dakota declared independence. The USAF would still control the nuclear weapons in the state. The weapons would remain under the control of the Pentagon and the federal government in DC.