Ukrainian joke fundraiser “for nukes”raises millions in hours after Zelenskyy-Trump dispute

Ukrainian joke fundraiser for domestic “nuclear weapons” raised millions in hours after tense Ukraine-US presidential talks. Actually, the funds will support drone procurement.

Ukraine voluntarily surrendered its nuclear arsenal in 1994 under the Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security assurances from nuclear powers, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia. The latter country violated the memorandum, which included commitments from the signatory states to respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. This agreement has been a point of contention since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022.

The fundraiser titled “for nukes” was launched by Ukraine’s Monobank co-founder Oleh Horokhovskyi and collected 27.2 million hryvnias (approximately $650,000) in just 20 hours.

The banker later clarified to BBC Ukraine that the “nuclear weapons” theme was meant as a joke to “blow off steam” after a difficult day, referring to a heated exchange between Zelenskyy and Trump in the Oval Office on 28 February. 

He explained that he created the virtual donation account “in a minute” without coordinating with Ukrainian authorities.

“No one can say that the President, finding himself in this situation, did not defend Ukraine’s interests. And this deserves respect and support,” Horokhovskyi wrote on his Telegram channel before launching the fundraiser.

The funds will instead be transferred to volunteers for drone purchases or humanitarian needs at the front. 

“I don’t understand how these funds could be used for nuclear weapons, and I didn’t plan for that,” Horokhovskyi told BBC Ukraine.

Statistics provided by Horokhovskyi show contributions came from approximately 70,000 participants across 61 countries, with the US and Poland ranking second and third after Ukraine in donation volume.

The rapid response to the campaign reflects broader public sentiment in Ukraine regarding nuclear weapons. According to December 2024 data from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 73% of Ukrainians support restoring the country’s nuclear status, while 20% oppose it.

President Zelenskyy also periodically raised the issue of nuclear weapons in diplomatic contexts. In February, he suggested to British journalist Piers Morgan that nuclear weapons could serve as a security guarantee if NATO membership remains unattainable.

“Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons, and then this is protection for us, or we must have some alliance… We choose NATO. Not nuclear weapons, we choose NATO,” Zelenskyy stated.

Zelenskyy later clarified his position, stating: “We never said that we are preparing to create nuclear weapons or something similar.” He explained he was referencing the Budapest Memorandum’s unfulfilled territorial integrity and sovereignty promises.

Experts cited by BBC Ukraine express skepticism about Ukraine’s technical capabilities to develop nuclear weapons. According to British nuclear weapons researcher Marion Messmer, the country lacks the necessary production facilities for nuclear fuel processing.

Messmer notes that building such facilities would take years and would be difficult to conceal from Western allies or Russian intelligence. 

Any attempt to develop nuclear weapons could also result in UN sanctions similar to those imposed on North Korea after its nuclear program advancement in 2003.

Horokhovskyi dismissed the immediate fundraiser’s connection to actual nuclear development but did not rule out supporting such initiatives in the future if approached by Ukrainian authorities.