Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a stark warning on Thursday, declaring that Russia would deploy “all means of destruction” at its disposal if Ukraine were to acquire nuclear weapons. His remarks followed reports suggesting the possibility of U.S. President Joe Biden transferring nuclear arms to Ukraine before leaving office, a claim highlighted by The New York Times last week through unnamed Western officials.
“If the country which we are essentially at war with now becomes a nuclear power, what do we do? In this case, we will use all, I want to emphasize this, precisely all means of destruction available to Russia. Everything: we will not allow it. We’ll be watching their every move,” Putin stated during a press conference in Astana.
Putin criticized any such transfer as a violation of global non-proliferation commitments. While asserting that Ukraine lacks the technical capability to produce nuclear weapons, he expressed concern over the possibility of Kyiv creating a “dirty bomb” – a conventional explosive device laced with radioactive material. “In that case, Russia would respond appropriately,” he warned.
Russia has previously accused Ukraine of considering the use of dirty bombs, though these claims have been made without substantiated evidence.
Ukraine relinquished its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum in exchange for security assurances from Russia, the U.S., and Britain. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has criticized this decision, arguing that it left his country vulnerable and citing it as a reason Ukraine should join NATO – a move strongly opposed by Moscow.
Tensions between the two nations remain high as the war continues to rage, with Russia maintaining its opposition to any actions that could escalate the conflict further.
