Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Brussels issued an ultimatum to NATO – either to accept Ukraine or for it to acquire nuclear weapons, writes focus.de.
First, the BILD newspaper reported that Zelensky openly stated that Ukraine could win the war with a nuclear arsenal, a statement that was shocking to Western journalists. Later, Zelensky's office denied that he had said that.
According to POLITICO, however, Zelensky said exactly this – Kiev has two choices: joining NATO or a nuclear arsenal. The Ukrainian leader nevertheless emphasizes that he would prefer his country to be accepted into NATO, something that the Alliance cannot yet promise (with a specific date) to Kiev.
Ukraine's survival can only be guaranteed by joining NATO or providing Kiev with nuclear weapons, President Zelensky said. Zelensky recalled that his country had agreed to give up Soviet nuclear weapons stored on its soil in exchange for security guarantees from Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.
„Who gave up nuclear weapons? All of them? Not Ukraine. Who is fighting today? Ukraine”, added Zelensky. “Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons and that will be our defense, or we have to have some sort of alliance. Apart from NATO, today we do not know any effective alliances,”, Zelensky also said. Focus.de defined his statement as an ultimatum.
„NATO countries are not at war. All people are alive in NATO countries. And thank God. That is why we choose NATO. Not nuclear weapons, Zelensky said.
Later, the Ukrainian leader clarified at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that “we are not creating nuclear weapons. I meant that today there is no stronger security guarantee for us than NATO membership.
Kiev needs the approval of all 32 NATO members to join, but pro-Russian Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has vowed to block Ukraine's accession while in office. Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose relationship with Zelensky is rocky, also described Ukraine's victory plan as “more than frightening”.
Many members such as Poland and the Balkan states support the plan, but some countries such as Slovakia and Hungary have expressed concern and could block accession, Newsweek reports. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also remained cautious during the meeting and stressed that many political and military issues still needed to be clarified in advance. The hesitation stems, among other things, from concerns about provoking a major confrontation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has threatened NATO with "catastrophic consequences". Newsweek also points out that in Brussels, Ukraine issued a nuclear ultimatum to NATO. Zelensky said he told Trump recently that Ukraine would either join “some alliance” or be “forced to seek nuclear weapons”, adding that he knew of no stronger option than NATO. “I believe that Trump heard me and said that this is a fair argument,“, Zelensky said.
During his visit to Brussels, Zelensky presented his “plan for victory” to the Western countries. His words marked a sharp escalation in Kiev's push for security guarantees amid the war with Russia, which Putin launched on February 24, 2022. Zelensky has made it clear that NATO support is critical to Ukraine's survival. In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up its efforts to secure more support from the West. Although NATO member states provide military assistance, intelligence and financial support, they have not yet offered full membership to Ukraine, Newsweek recalls.
Ukraine's potential pursuit of nuclear weapons marks a significant departure from its previous defense policy. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited one of the largest nuclear arsenals in the world.
However, in 1994 it agreed to give up its nuclear stockpile under the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security guarantees from the West, including Russia. However, Moscow grossly violated this agreement by attacking Ukraine.