According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine has no concrete plans for nuclear armament: “We don’t do nuclear weapons,” he said during a press conference in Brussels alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
He also once again referred to unfulfilled commitments from the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, when Ukraine handed over the Soviet nuclear weapons stationed on its territory. In return, the nuclear powers promised the country security, but this did not work out, Zelensky stated.
As a security guarantee, Ukraine, which is at war with Russia, is now requesting a quick invitation to NATO. An invitation would support Ukraine diplomatically, said Zelensky. Therefore, this is central to his so-called “victory plan.”
He pointed out how many weapons systems from NATO countries are already in use in Ukraine and how close the cooperation is. He argued that it would be wrong to leave Ukraine politically outside the alliance when it is practically already largely integrated.
Prior to the NATO visit, Zelensky had spoken about the option of nuclear armament at an EU summit in Brussels. Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons, or it must be in some sort of alliance, he said at a press conference in Brussels. He added that apart from NATO, he does not know of any functioning alliances.
Rutte noted that Ukraine has already been promised membership in the alliance in principle by the allies. Ukraine will be a NATO member, he said. However, Rutte did not specify a timeline.
Important NATO states like the United States and Germany are currently unwilling to fulfil Ukraine’s wish out of fear of escalating tensions with Russia.
