According to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, some 73% of Ukrainians want Ukraine to have nuclear weapons.
The poll also said that 20% do not support this idea and it took place on the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum signing which was when Kyiv gave up their Soviet nuclear arsenal for international security guarantees.
The Kyiv Independent reports that half of the poll respondents support Ukraine having nuclear weapons even if the country loses Western aid and sanctions.
So far officials have said that they will keep the nuclear proliferation policy and have no thoughts on building such weapons and instead want NATO membership.
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Anton Hrushetskyi, the Institute’s executive director said, “In the minds of Ukrainians, nuclear weapons are one of the options ‘on the table.’
“We hope that our Western allies will demonstrate the necessary will and Ukraine will eventually receive effective security guarantees, without the need for Ukraine to consider other difficult solutions for itself, how to protect itself from Russia.”
Earlier this month the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that Moscow will not allow Ukraine to have nor develop nuclear weapons.
Moscow is determined to “prevent” any of things from happening which questions the “viability of the Budapest Memorandum” and contradict “Ukraine non-nuclear status.”
in a statement dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum she said, “Moscow is firmly determined to prevent any of these scenarios. The Kiev regime acquiring nuclear weapons is completely unacceptable to our country.”
Zakharova made reference to the so-called alarming statements by Kiev officials, “which not only question the viability of the Budapest Memorandum but could also be interpreted as an outright attempt to review Ukraine’s non-nuclear status.”
“Such a destabilizing move would contradict Ukraine’s obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), blatantly undermining the nuclear non-proliferation regime and creating unacceptable risks to international security,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stressed.
“As Western countries make belligerent statements, take extremely hostile actions against Russia, and continue fueling the confrontation they started in the Ukraine crisis, we must warn of the risk of a direct military clash between nuclear powers, which could potentially have very severe consequences, and send sobering messages to support such warnings.
“Russia does not threaten to use nuclear weapons against anyone, and any statements claiming otherwise are nothing but deliberate lies aimed at Moscow. We conduct our nuclear deterrence policy in the most serious and responsible manner.”
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