Kiev must reclaim its nuclear status to confront Moscow, a Ukrainian lawmaker has argued
Ukrainian MP Alexey Goncharenko poses for a photo with former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Munich Security Conference, February 16, 2024 © Telegram / oleksiihoncharenko
Unless Ukraine obtains a full NATO membership, it will have no other choice but to develop or somehow else obtain an arsenal of atomic weapons, according to MP Alexey Goncharenko.
The Ukrainian lawmaker pressed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the issue at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, wondering what other options Kiev has against Moscow, besides “becoming a member of NATO,” allying with a “nuclear power” or “restoring our nuclear potential” – but the American diplomat dodged the question.
“Once again I will say directly and openly: I support the return of nuclear weapons to Ukraine. And I believe that this is our only option for survival,” Goncharenko wrote in a Telegram post on Sunday evening, noting that Blinken did not answer his question.
The lawmaker went on to argue that “if NATO does not want to accept us,” then “nuclear rockets must be made,” insisting that Kiev would gladly “endure” any potential sanctions for the breach of the non-proliferation treaty.
“We don’t need a thousand. We need 20 [nuclear missiles],” he claimed, without elaborating how exactly he expects Kiev to obtain the nukes.
Ukraine has almost no chance of producing nuclear weapons on its own, the head of the country’s National Security and Defense Council Aleksey Danilov acknowledged last year – while hinting that Kiev may eventually host a Western-made atomic arsenal.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine inherited about one third of the country’s nuclear warheads, along with the accompanying infrastructure. In 1994, it voluntarily gave up the weapons in exchange for security guarantees from the US, Britain, and Russia under the Budapest Memorandum. However, Russian officials have repeatedly said that Western interference in Ukraine’s domestic affairs has undermined that treaty.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signaled that Kiev might try to reclaim its nuclear status, shortly before the start of Moscow’s military campaign in 2022.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine was in talks to acquire nuclear weapons before the start of the conflict, while former Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev has said Kiev’s threats to restart its nuclear program were among the main factors that prompted Russia to launch its military operation.