Putin Says Russia Will Never Allow Ukraine to Acquire Nuclear Weapons

Russian President Vladimir Putin has firmly stated that Russia will not allow Ukraine to develop nuclear weapons under any circumstances.

His comments came in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's suggestion that Kyiv might seek nuclear arms if it is unable to join NATO.

“Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons and that will be our protection or we should have some sort of alliance. Apart from NATO, today we do not know any effective alliances,” Zelensky said.

“NATO countries are not at war. People are all alive in NATO countries. And thank God. That is why we choose NATO. Not nuclear weapons,” he added.

Later, President Zelensky clarified at a Thursday press conference with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that “we are not building nuclear weapons. What I meant is that today there is no stronger security guarantee for us besides NATO membership.”

Speaking to journalists from the BRICS group on Friday, Russian President Putin referred to Zelensky's remarks as "a dangerous provocation."

“It is not difficult to create nuclear weapons in the modern world. I don't know if Ukraine is capable of doing it now; it's not so easy for Ukraine today. But, in general, there are no great difficulties here,” Putin said.

Putin also accused Ukrainian leaders of suggesting, even before the war, that Ukraine should possess nuclear weapons. He warned that any attempt by Ukraine to develop nuclear weapons would lead to a serious response from Russia.

"We can trace any movement in this direction. It will not be possible to do it secretly," Putin emphasized, making it clear that Moscow is closely monitoring the situation.

Ukraine had the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. However, it gave up these weapons in 1994 after signing the Budapest Memorandum, which included security assurances from Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom. The agreement required all signatories to respect Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity.

Zelensky has previously criticized Russia for violating the Budapest Memorandum. He argued that Ukraine now sees NATO as its only path to ensuring national security, rejecting the idea of returning to nuclear weapons. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Zelensky clarified his earlier comments, saying, Ukraine “never said we are preparing to create nuclear weapons."

Meanwhile, the German tabloid Bild recently reported, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official, that Ukraine has the material and knowledge to create a nuclear bomb and could do so within weeks if given the order. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry strongly denied these claims, calling the report "insinuation." Zelensky has also dismissed these allegations, reiterating that Ukraine has no plans to develop nuclear weapons.