Zelensky Responds to Russian Intelligence Claims on Nuclear Weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on a statement by Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, which alleged that France and the United Kingdom were planning to arm Ukraine with nuclear weapons. He made the remarks during a press conference alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, according to reports carried by UNIAN.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by President Of Ukraine from Україна, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Volodymyr Zelensky

Ukraine Rejects Nuclear Allegations

A day earlier, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service claimed that Paris and London were preparing to supply Kyiv with a nuclear bomb. According to the agency, the United Kingdom and France intended to disguise the transfer of nuclear weapons as an indigenous Ukrainian development.

Zelensky Calls Statement Political Pressure

Volodymyr Zelensky described the intelligence claims as "an element of political pressure,” "preparation for international and trilateral negotiations,” and "a reaction to discussions in Europe about creating a "nuclear shield.'” He added that such statements could be "extremely dangerous” and urged other nuclear-armed states to respond.

"Ukraine does not possess nuclear weapons, unfortunately. You know the circumstances under which Ukraine once had such weapons and when they were removed,” Zelensky said.

Reaction From Moscow

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Ukraine still had "certain restraints” in the military sphere, which, she argued, could disappear if nuclear weapons were transferred to Kyiv. She also claimed that Western countries failed to recognize the long-term consequences of their policies.