Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has raised the possibility that he would develop nuclear weapons if NATO membership fails. Kyiv Independent reported on Friday that Zelenskyy made the statement during a European Union (EU) summit.
Zelenskyy disclosed that former U.S. President Donald Trump had acknowledged Ukraine’s nuclear ambitions in a previous discussion. “Ukraine must either possess nuclear weapons to secure a protective shield or form strong military alliances, such as NATO,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Trump had described this as a “legitimate claim.”
Ukraine once held the third-largest nuclear arsenal in the world. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1994, the country transferred its nuclear weapons to Russia and signed the Budapest Memorandum, which guaranteed its sovereignty in exchange.
Zelenskyy stressed that the agreement left Ukraine in a vulnerable position, noting that countries that retained their nuclear weapons did not face similar wars. However, he clarified that if NATO membership becomes possible, he will withdraw the nuclear development plans.
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