Kremlin says Zelensky’s proposal for Ukraine to get nukes in lieu of NATO membership ‘verges on madness’
The Kremlin hopes the West understands the “absurdity and potential danger” of discussing the possibility of providing nuclear weapons to Ukraine, Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reportedly told journalists on Wednesday.
In general, these kinds of statements and remarks verge on madness. There’s a nuclear non-proliferation regime in place. One hopes that despite the overall fact that the current generation of European politicians leaves much to be desired in terms of qualifications, there is still some sober understanding in Europe of the absurdity and potential danger of discussing such a topic.
In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan that aired Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argued that providing Ukraine with nuclear weapons could be a sufficient security guarantee if the country isn’t granted immediate NATO membership after the war.
Ukraine relinquished its nuclear weapons under the Budapest Memorandum, signed in December 1994. The document provided guarantees of Ukraine's territorial integrity in exchange for giving up its nuclear arsenal.
Sign up for Meduza’s daily newsletter
A digest of Russia’s investigative reports and news analysis. If it matters, we summarize it.