The explanation I heard: Kruschev's political past was in Ukraine (he was a high ranking official in the communist party there), and he wanted to do his home republic a favor by transferring them the naval base at Sevastapol, along with state funds that went with it.
Why Gorbachev did it, when he was all of 23 years old, is something I don't know.
Now I'm seeking the answer to this question
The explanation I heard: Kruschev's political past was in Ukraine (he was a high ranking official in the communist party there), and he wanted to do his home republic a favor by transferring them the naval base at Sevastapol, along with state funds that went with it.
Why Gorbachev did it, when he was all of 23 years old, is something I don't know.
Giving land to Ukraine was a popular pasttime, Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev all given them a lot.