Fact-checking Chris Christie on U.S. security obligations toward Ukraine

During the third Republican presidential debate, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie explained that his support for Ukraine against the continuing Russian invasion traces back to promises made during the 1990s.

"In 1992, this country made a promise to Ukraine," Christie said during the Nov. 8 debate in Miami. "We said, ‘If you return nuclear missiles that were part of the old Soviet Union to Russia, and they invade you, we will protect you.’"

This makes the U.S. obligation to defend Ukraine sound cut and dried. However, as we’ve previously written, it was anything but.

Christie’s campaign did not respond to an inquiry for this article.