Russian President Vladimir Putin described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s suggestion that Ukraine might pursue nuclear weapons if it could not join NATO as a “dangerous provocation”.
Zelensky made the remarks during an EU summit, where he stated, “Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons to protect us, or we must have some form of alliance.” He was referencing a past conversation with former U.S. President Donald Trump about Ukraine’s decision to relinquish its nuclear arsenal after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“This is a dangerous provocation,” Putin said during a press briefing with journalists from the BRICS nations. “Any move in this direction will be met with an appropriate response.”
Putin emphasized that “it is not difficult to create nuclear weapons in the modern world,” though he questioned Ukraine’s current ability to do so. “I do not know if Ukraine can achieve this now—it is not easy for the Ukraine of today—but in general, it is not a great challenge.”
Ukraine had inherited the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. However, it surrendered those weapons three years later in exchange for security assurances from Russia and the United States, formalized in the Budapest Memorandum. This agreement required the signatories to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and independence.
Zelensky asserted that Russia had “violated this document” and said that Ukraine’s reliance on NATO membership was intended to eliminate the need for nuclear weapons. He made these comments during a press conference after Thursday’s summit.
