Ukraine, under the Budapest Memorandum, gave up nuclear weapons in exchange for guarantees of peace, territorial integrity and sovereignty from influential nuclear states, but in return received aggression from Russia. At the same time, Ukraine has never declared its intention to restore nuclear arsenal.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated this at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels today, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
This is how Zelensky answered a journalist’s question about how long it would take Ukraine to produce its own nuclear weapons.
“Sometimes we create problems for ourselves, and now you have started to do just that. We have never said that we are preparing to create nuclear weapons or anything like that,” Zelensky emphasized.
He recalled that the Budapest Memorandum was signed by very respected and powerful nuclear states. This document stipulated that Ukraine was giving up nuclear weapons and would have its territorial integrity and sovereignty protected by these respected countries, including Russia, China and the United States. Instead, after Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons, the guarantor countries failed to deter Russia from aggression against Ukraine at least twice in the past ten years.
“This means that this (Budapest Memorandum – ed.) is not a good umbrella for our security. That is why I said that I have no alternative but NATO. That was my signal. We do not produce nuclear weapons. Please do not push these messages,” the President said.
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As reported, a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers began in Brussels on October 17. Today, the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting at the level of ministers is taking place in the format of a working dinner. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in Brussels to participate in the European Council meeting and to present Ukraine’s Victory Plan to EU leaders, joined the meeting.
Photo: ЕРА
Source: Ukraine does not create nuclear weapons but seeks security guarantees from NATO - Zelensky
