Putin: Russia will never let Ukraine build nuclear bombs

Russia will not let Ukraine obtain nuclear weapons under any circumstances, Russian President Vladimir Putin said speaking at a meeting with media representatives of the BRICS states, RIA Novosti reports.

"I can say right away that Russia will not allow this (the creation of nuclear weapons in Ukraine) under any circumstances," he said.

Kyiv's recent announcements about a possibility to build nuclear weapons are another provocation, the Russian President believes. Any step towards the creation of nuclear weapons in Ukraine will receive an "appropriate reaction." 

Moscow is able to track any action that Kyiv may take to acquire nuclear weapons, since such a move will be "impossible to conceal," Putin noted. 

Speaking about a possible agreement between Russia and Ukraine, the Russian President said that such an agreement could be based on the documents that the parties concludes in Istanbul in 2022.

"Everyone is calling on us to negotiate, but no one pays attention to the fact that the Ukrainian side has banned itself from negotiating. This is ridiculous. The most important thing is the basis. The basis is the draft document developed during the Istanbul negotiation process," Putin said.

Putin has repeatedly spoken about the Istanbul agreements before. For example, he said in July 2024 that those agreements "remain on the table and can be used as a basis for continuing those negotiations.” 

When asked about the possible date for the completion of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, President Putin said that setting a time frame for ending the conflict in Ukraine was counterproductive, RIA Novosti reports.

"When NATO gets tired of fighting us, you ask them. We are ready to continue this fight. And victory will be ours!" the president said.