Statements on Ukraine's own nuclear weapons are just political talk, ex-minister says

He said this on the Espreso TV channel.

‘In terms of the realistic possibility of Ukraine's return to nuclear status, we should take into account the following factors. First, all nuclear programs developed in the world were in a state of extreme secrecy. Ukraine is probably the first country in the world that, without having anything or even political plans for nuclear weapons, has already started discussing this issue at the level of panel discussions, public debates, and opinion polls. Countries that acquired nuclear weapons did not behave like this,’ Kostenko said.

According to the former minister, there are several aspects of how a country can move towards producing its own nuclear weapons. Firstly, the availability of resources in the state, including funds. For example, Iran has been trying to develop nuclear weapons for almost 30 years, but so far it has not succeeded, despite the availability of resources — not only financial, but also other ones.

Therefore, it should be understood that, when it comes to Ukraine's nuclear program, it does not relate to the current period in which the Ukrainian state is currently living, namely Russia's large-scale aggression against Ukraine.

‘Now about other technological aspects. There is not a single place in Ukraine today that is not subject to shelling by Russia, especially since the Russians are now testing their Oreshnik, which can destroy even underground factories. So from this point of view, it is also unrealistic.

Thirdly, if we say that, for example, Ukraine has made a nuclear explosive device, it must be tested. Where can we do this on the territory of Ukraine?

And lastly, for many years Ukraine has seen itself as part of the European security system and the EU, and the question arises: the EU has NATO, which provides a nuclear umbrella from the US, UK, and France. Why should Ukraine spend enormous opportunities, resources, etc. if Ukraine is strategically oriented towards EU and NATO membership?’ Kostenko said.

The ex-minister of environment and nuclear safety concluded that, based on a brief analysis, the nuclear issue is mostly related to political discussions and has nothing to do with the realism of this idea of arming Ukraine.

• In October, a German tabloid spread similar information. Bild wrote that Ukraine allegedly has the relevant materials and knowledge to rebuild its nuclear arsenal in a few weeks. The Presidential Office said that such information has nothing to do with reality.
• On November 14, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine denied information about Kyiv's alleged intention to create or acquire nuclear weapons.