U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington is not considering the possibility of transferring nuclear weapons to Ukraine, a demand previously made by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, as reported by Tengrinews.kz.
Rubio described Zelensky's proposal as unserious and unrealistic.
"I don't think this is a serious proposal on their part. I also don't think that acquiring nuclear weapons is a solution to the problem. I haven't heard them say that. So if he (Zelensky - ed.) is saying that, I don't think it's a realistic demand. We need fewer nuclear countries, not more," said the U.S. Secretary of State in an interview with Breitbart.
Earlier, Zelensky mentioned in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan that if Ukraine is denied NATO membership, the provision of nuclear weapons could serve as a security guarantee for his country.
In response to a question about guarantees that could deter Russia from a new attack, Zelensky posed a rhetorical question:
"What will protect us from this evil all the time along this path? What support package? What missiles? Will they give us nuclear weapons? Then let them give us nuclear weapons. Will they provide us with enough missiles to stop Russia? I'm not sure about that, but I think it would help. Otherwise, what missiles can stop Russia's nuclear missiles? This is a rhetorical question. So let's do this: return our nuclear weapons to us, give us missile systems, and partners will help us finance a million-strong army, move your contingents to those regions of our country where we want stability, so that people can have peace."
Ukraine renounced nuclear weapons in 1994 by signing the Budapest Memorandum. The document guaranteed the territorial integrity of the country in exchange for giving up its nuclear arsenal.
