INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's suggestion that Kyiv would seek nuclear weapons if it could not join NATO was a "dangerous
provocation," Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.The Ukrainian leader made the comments at an EU summit on Thursday, in which he
said "either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons, which will protect us, or we must have some kind of alliance."He was recalling a
conversation he had had with former U.S
President Donald Trump about Ukraine giving up its nuclear arsenal after the collapse of the Soviet Union."This is a dangerous provocation,"
Putin said at a meeting with journalists from the BRICS group of emerging economies
"Any step in this direction will be met with a corresponding reaction."It is not difficult to create nuclear weapons in the modern world,"
he added."I do not know whether Ukraine is capable of doing it now, it is not so easy for Ukraine of today, but in general there is no great
difficulty here."Ukraine inherited the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991
It surrendered it three years later after receiving security guarantees from Russia and the United States.Those security guarantees, known
as the Budapest Memorandum, required that the signatories respect Ukraine and the other ex-Soviet republics' territorial integrity and
independence.Zelensky said Russia had "violated this document," and that Ukraine was counting on joining NATO to avoid the need for nuclear
weapons.He made the remarks at a news conference following Thursday's summit.A Message from The Moscow Times:Dear readers,We are facing
Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting
our staff at risk of prosecution
This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia
The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide
accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced
But to continue our work, we need your help.Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference
If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2
It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent
journalism in the face of repression
set.
We will send you one reminder email a month from now
For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy.
