US rejects idea of returning nuclear weapons to Ukraine

(CLO) The White House has confirmed that it is not considering returning to Ukraine the nuclear weapons that the country gave up after the collapse of the Soviet Union, according to US national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday.

“That’s not in the plan, absolutely not,” Sullivan told ABC. “What we’re doing is enhancing Ukraine’s conventional military capabilities so they can defend themselves effectively and confront the Russians, not giving them nuclear capabilities.”

A mobile anti-drone air defense unit in the Kherson region, Ukraine, June 11, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ivan Antypenko

The statement comes after a New York Times article last month said unnamed Western officials had suggested that President Joe Biden might consider providing nuclear weapons to Ukraine before the end of his term.

Responding to this information, Russian officials last week called the idea "absolutely insane", and said that this scenario was one of the main reasons why Russia was forced to decide to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine.

After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine inherited a large stockpile of Soviet-era nuclear weapons. However, in 1994, Kiev gave up its arsenal under an agreement known as the Budapest Memorandum. In return, Ukraine received security guarantees from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

However, Ukraine’s growing Western orientation following the Maidan Revolution and plans to join the US-led NATO military alliance have added to the instability. Russia then annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched a special military operation in Ukraine in 2022.

Hong Hanh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/my-noi-khong-xem-xet-viec-tra-lai-vu-khi-hat-nhan-cho-ukraine-post323763.html