The Ukrainian president insists on strong deterrence against Russian aggression in the future.

If Ukraine is not granted NATO membership, ever or in the near future, it will need alternative means to defend itself from future Russian aggression, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski repeated his October 2024 proposal during an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan on 4 February.

Zelenski suggested that Ukraine should be provided with nuclear weapons once the active phase of the war with Russia ends. He argued that if NATO accession remains a long-term prospect, Ukraine must have a way to protect itself.

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"If the process of joining NATO drags on for years or even decades, then we have a legitimate question: What will defend us against this evil during that time?" Zelenski said. "What kind of support package? What kind of missiles? Will we be given nuclear weapons? Then give us nuclear weapons."

"Give us back nuclear arms.

Give us missile systems," Zelenski urged, adding that the West must help Kyiv finance a 1-million-strong army and deploy their troops (peacekeepers?) to his country.

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Zelenski also believes that once Ukraine remains outside NATO – the principal goal of Moscow’s war, Russia must give back all occupied territories.

This is not the first time Zelenskyy has floated the idea. In October 2024, he stated that Ukraine needed either NATO membership or nuclear weapons to ensure its survival, making it clear that NATO accession remained his preferred option.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited significant nuclear weapons but relinquished it in 1994 in exchange for security guarantees from Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

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The entire nuclear arsenal – more than 170 intercontinental ballistic missiles and over 2,500 tactical missiles - was shipped to Russia.

In earlier comments, the Ukrainian leader said it was a mistake.

The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Zelenski’s demand “madness.”

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