MOSCOW, March 6. /TASS/. Ukraine could have obtained nuclear weapons within several months, a source in one of Russian agencies told TASS.

"According to conclusions by Western experts, the Kiev regime was extremely close to creating a nuclear explosive device based on plutonium due to its covert obtainment from spent nuclear fuel stored in the country’s territory. Ukrainian specialists could have made such a device within several months," the source said.

According to its data, by implementing programs in both nuclear and rocket spheres over more than two decades, Ukraine was consistently nearing all the necessary conditions to create its own nuclear weapons. "Particularly, significant results were reached in the area of modeling nuclear chain reactions, the division of fission materials isotopes as well as in the sphere of research and metallurgy of nuclear materials," the source specified.

In February, at the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to call a summit of the Budapest Memorandum’s signatories. According to him, if it wouldn’t happen nor Ukraine would be given security guarantees, the memorandum would be recognized by Kiev as null and void. The Budapest Memorandum was signed by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, the UK and the US on December 5, 1994. Complying with this document, Ukraine got rid of its nuclear arsenal while Russia, the US and the UK guaranteed the country’s security.