MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent remarks about the provision of his country with nuclear arms that would be sufficient to defend against Russia are "approaching madness," Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
"On the whole, such statements as well as all similar statements are approaching madness. There is a nuclear non-proliferation regime and so on," Peskov told journalists.
The Ukrainian president stated on Tuesday that the West should provide Ukraine with nuclear weapons and also deploy its troops on the country’s territory if it was not yet ready to grant NATO membership to Kiev.
Kiev has repeatedly stated its desire to become a full-fledged NATO member state. In September, 2022, Ukraine officially requested fast-tracked membership in the alliance. On January 16, Zelensky complained that Hungary, Germany, Slovakia and the United States currently oppose Ukraine’s NATO membership.
The Budapest Memorandum was signed by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States on December 5, 1994. Under it, Ukraine disposed of its nuclear arsenal, while Russia, the US and the UK issued security guarantees to Kiev, to be later joined by France and China.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in February 2022, Zelensky speculated that Kiev may reconsider its obligations under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which stipulates that Ukraine rejects nuclear weapons in exchange for guarantees of security.
Later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the emergence of even tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine would pose a strategic threat for Russia.