Volodymyr Gorbulin, one of the architects of the Ukrainian defense industry and former secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, believes that after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, Ukraine has every moral right to reconsider its nuclear obligations under the Budapest Memorandum and return to the creation of nuclear weapons – this time in the format of international partnership.
He said this in an interview with the BBC.
Ukraine could develop nuclear weapons in partnership with the EU
– If you had asked me before this war began, I would have thought about it. Now I think that we need to go back (before the revision of the obligations under the memorandum, – Ed.), because we have every moral right. Every day and every night, after all the attacks by Russian aviation, and not only aviation, after these night shellings, when the Russian Federation uses all its capabilities, everything that it has in stock today, – he said.
In his opinion, the most promising option is to create a “nuclear club” together with European countries, which also feel a growing threat from the Russian Federation.
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In particular, Poland, Great Britain and the Baltic countries could be potential partners.
– It is not just “Ukraine will make nuclear weapons”. No, it is not like that. Ukraine together with the countries in the united club will do it, he emphasized.
Gorbulin drew attention to the words of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who stated that Poland would feel safer if it had nuclear weapons.
He also noted that even France and Great Britain doubt the adequacy of the nuclear arsenal to contain the Russian Federation.
“Ukraine has not only a scientific school, but also a technical base to take this step together with its allies,” he added.
Let us recall that Ukraine lost its nuclear status on June 2, 1996, when the last warhead was removed from its territory.
This was a consequence of joining the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and signing the Budapest Memorandum.
