The documentation was signed at the state dacha near Viskuli in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Belarus on 8 December 1991, by leaders of three of the four republics (except for the defunct Transcaucasian SFSR) which had signed the 1922 Treaty on the Creation of the USSR:[3] As Shushkevich said in 2006, by December "the union had already been broken up by the putschists" who in August 1991 tried to remove Mikhail Gorbachev from power to prevent the transformation of the Soviet Union into what Shushkevich described as "a confederation".

The main obligations of the parties to the Agreement, ratified by all former Soviet republics except Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, includes the following: According to the text of Article 6, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus form a “common military and strategic space” and “united armed forces.” [9][10] Immediately after the signing of the Agreement on 8 December 1991, Russian President Yeltsin called U.S. President George H. W. Bush and specifically read him Article 6 of the Agreement.

"[11] The preamble of the document stated that "the USSR, as a subject of international law and a geopolitical reality, is ceasing its existence".

The question should be decided only by constitutional means with the participation of all sovereign states and taking into account the will of all their citizens.

The statement that Unionwide legal norms would cease to be in effect is also illegal and dangerous; it can only worsen the chaos and anarchy in society.

Three days later, in a secret meeting with Yeltsin, he accepted the fait accompli of the Soviet Union's dissolution.

The lower house, the Soviet of the Union, had not met since 12 December when Russia recalled its deputies from both chambers, leaving it without a quorum.

[19] The Summit of Alma-Ata also issued a statement on 21 December 1991, supporting Russia's claim to be recognized as the successor state of the Soviet Union for the purposes of membership of the United Nations.

The Secretary-General circulated the request, and there being no objection from any Member State, the Russian Federation took the Soviet Union's UN seat.

[28][22] Stanislav Shushkevich, the former leader of Belarus, was told by the country's foreign ministry that the original accords have gone missing as of 7 February 2013.

[29] According to information from the depositary (the Archive of the Government of Belarus), the Agreement is still in force for both Russia and Ukraine as of 2025.