Zelenskyy makes strong statement on Ukraine’s nuclear disarmament
Ukrainian president believes that membership in the Alliance was the minimum price that should have been paid for Kyiv’s nuclear disarmament.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy / © Associated Press
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Kyiv’s renunciation of nuclear weapons a major mistake and an «unfair game» by the signatories of the Budapest Memorandum.
He said this in an interview with The Rest Is Politics podcast and on his Telegram channel.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had expected fair terms and reliable security guarantees after relinquishing its nuclear weapons.
«NATO membership is the least Ukraine’s leaders should have received in exchange for the nuclear arsenal. What did we get? Nothing. It was an unfair game and a major mistake, ” he said.
Zelenskyy stresses that the issue goes beyond Ukraine’s own miscalculation, pointing to failures by other signatories of the Budapest Memorandum — nuclear-armed states that, he said, should have ensured effective security guarantees, including a potential «nuclear umbrella.»
«Ultimately, it was all deception. A significant portion of our nuclear weapons was transferred to Russia — including strategic aircraft that are now being used against us in this war, ” the president said.