The development of Ukraine’s own nuclear weapons will become relevant if the country is denied NATO membership and pressured into capitulating to Russia, which has launched an aggressive war against it, says Ukrainian military expert Mykhailo Samus, head of the New Geopolitics Research Network, according to Espreso TV.
Thirty years ago, on 16 November 1994, Ukraine joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, confirming its ownership of all nuclear weapons it inherited from the Soviet Union and committing to fully relinquishing them, using nuclear energy exclusively for peaceful purposes. In exchange, the countries with the largest nuclear arsenals were to guarantee Ukraine’s security and protect it from any form of aggression or pressure. However, with the annexation of Crimea, the Russian war against Ukraine has lasted for 10 years.
“If Ukraine becomes a NATO ally or is invited to join NATO and does not stay in a gray zone in this turbulent world, then it does not need nuclear weapons,” Samus emphasized.
At the same time, according to the expert, if Ukraine is pushed into a “gray zone” with claims that NATO membership is impossible and if it’s forced to capitulate and surrender its territories to Russia, the aggressor state, Ukraine will need to prioritize its national interests as part of a long-term outlook.
“It is about survival, about the existence of the Ukrainian nation. In that case, the question will no longer be whether to create basic or advanced nuclear weapons. We will need to develop any tools necessary because we will need to survive. If we are positioned as a buffer zone between NATO, the Western world, and Russia, we will need to take every possible measure. In this context, nuclear weapons would be one of those tools,” Samus stated.
However, the Ukrainian expert clarified that nuclear weapons development is currently not on the agenda, as Ukraine has all the opportunities to integrate into the Euro-Atlantic space.
He believes the Alliance wants to see as its member, especially when considering European strategic autonomy.
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