President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine does not want to regain the right to be a nuclear power, but in exchange for this it should receive a "security umbrella". He said this at a meeting with journalists, UNN reports, citing Suspilne and Babel.
"I said: "We do not have nuclear weapons and we are not in NATO, and we will not be in NATO until the war is over. That's why I need this package". We need a package that can stop Putin and reduce his military potential. I have found this alternative," Zelenskyy said.
According to the President, his position is clear: he has never asked for the return of nuclear weapons to Ukraine.
According to Babel, Zelenskyy believes that when Ukraine gave up all its nuclear weapons in 1996, it should have become a NATO member.
"This is my opinion. I shared it with US President Joe Biden and with US presidential candidate Donald Trump. That's why I said I can't understand where the justice is in relation to Ukraine. We gave away nuclear weapons. We did not get NATO. I asked them if you could tell me other allies or another "security umbrella", some security measures and guarantees for Ukraine that would be commensurate with NATO. No one can tell me," Zelensky said.
Addendum
BILD, citing its own sources , reportedthat Kyiv is seriously considering the option of restoring its own nuclear weapons stockpile as a security guarantee for Ukraine.
The Center for Countering Disinformation denied the information about Ukraine's alleged plans to restore its nuclear arsenal.
Subsequently, Zelenskyy emphasizedthat Ukraine was not going to build nuclear weapons and considered NATO membership to be better than any weapon.