Four leaders vowed the Union would survive. Twenty-four days later, they signed its death warrant in a forest in Belarus. Here’s what happened.
Dear readers and subscribers,
I’ve written before about the final unraveling of the Soviet Union, you can read that piece below:
What follows is the transcript that captures the moment itself: four leaders, four vows that the Union would survive, and the twenty-four days that proved them wrong.
Interfax: Mr. Kerekhov, the first key question: Will there be a Union?
“It is difficult to say how many states will join the Union, but after today’s discussion, I am firmly convinced that there will be a Union.”
“You know, Kazakhstan has always advocated for preserving the Union. I believe there will be a Union.”
“I, too, am fully confident that there will be a Union. We have always supported the Union, so we are in favor of it.”
“And after today’s discussion, I have become confident that there will be a Union. The Union of Sovereign States will be a confederal-democratic state.”
Four voices, one after another, all saying the same thing. It sounded like consensus, but it wasn’t.
What none of them could agree on was what “Union” actually meant, and that ambiguity would unravel everything within the month.
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