Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has proposed that the West should either expedite Ukraine’s NATO membership or arm Kiev with nuclear weapons and additional missiles to counter Russian aggression.
In an interview published by British journalist Piers Morgan on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, Zelensky was questioned about Ukraine’s insistence on NATO membership despite knowing it is a non-starter for peace talks with Moscow.
Zelensky argued:
”If we can’t join NATO soon, what will protect us from this evil? Give us back nuclear weapons, give us missile systems. Help us finance a one-million army, and deploy your troops where we need to stabilize the situation.”
Zelensky has expressed regret over Ukraine’s decision in the early 1990s to surrender Soviet nuclear weapons, which were stationed on Ukrainian soil, in exchange for security guarantees. After the USSR’s dissolution in 1991, Ukraine inherited approximately 1,700 nuclear warheads, but these were under Moscow’s control, RT writes.
Russia contends that these weapons were never Ukraine’s, to begin with, since they legally belonged to Moscow. Furthermore, Russian officials have criticized the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which was supposed to secure Ukraine’s denuclearization, claiming it was rendered obsolete by NATO’s eastward expansion and the U.S.-backed Maidan coup in 2014, RT writes.
During a conversation with US podcaster Lex Fridman last month, Zelensky lamented the loss of nuclear arms, stating, ”Nuclear weapons were the security guarantees that Ukraine had,” and suggested that they were used for protection before being handed over to Russia.
In October, Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine could ensure its safety either by becoming a nuclear state or by joining NATO, expressing a preference for the latter.
Weeks later, the New York Times reported, based on anonymous sources, that former U.S. President Joe Biden might consider allowing Ukraine to reacquire nuclear weapons. However, Jake Sullivan, Biden’s former National Security Adviser, denied this was under consideration, RT writes.
In late December, Maria Zakharova from the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that for Ukraine to obtain nuclear weapons again, it would require external components from other states.
Lastly, in November, President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would use all available means of destruction if Ukraine were to acquire nuclear capabilities, stating firmly, ”We will not allow this.”
Sources
- RT: Zelensky calls for nukes to ‘stop Russia’
- Pierce Morgan Uncensored: Zelensky: ’We Want NUKES!’ Plus: ’Tucker Carlson, Stop Licking Putin’s Ass!’