Zelensky Says He Would Welcome Western Nuclear Arms

(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has indicated that he would readily accept nuclear weapons from Western allies, specifically the United Kingdom and France, though he emphasized that no such proposal has ever been presented.

In an interview broadcast by Sky News on Friday, Zelensky addressed allegations from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claiming that London and Paris were preparing to discreetly transfer materials and expertise that could allow Kiev to assemble either a radioactive “dirty bomb” or potentially a nuclear device.

A dirty bomb, which combines conventional explosives with radioactive substances, lacks the immense destructive capacity of a nuclear warhead but can spread contamination over extensive areas.

Russian intelligence officials suggested that if Ukraine were to obtain such a capability, it “would be able to aspire to more advantageous terms of ceasing the hostilities.” Authorities in both Britain and France have rejected these accusations.

When questioned about whether Ukraine was secretly pursuing nuclear capabilities through Western partners, Zelensky replied that he would have accepted them “with pleasure,” while clarifying that he “didn’t have propositions.” Shortly before the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022, Zelensky had also hinted that Ukraine might reassess its non-nuclear status.

Responding to his remarks, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the TASS that Zelensky had “confessed what London and Paris have stubbornly kept silent about.”

Meanwhile, Kirill Dmitriev, an adviser to President Vladimir Putin involved in negotiations related to Ukraine, suggested that the interviewer had “urgently interrupted” Zelensky before he could elaborate further on the nuclear issue.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the intelligence findings would be “taken into account” during peace talks, adding that making the information public may have prevented what he described as “crazy” nuclear plans from advancing.

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