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Petition urges legislation empowering Zelensky to seek access to NATO’s nuclear arsenal

Under the initiative, Kiev would be empowered to request that NATO deploy tactical nuclear weapons at the North Atlantic Alliance’s bases located in close proximity to Ukrainian territory so that such weapons could then be transferred to the Ukrainian air force

MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. A petition calling for drafting a bill to provide Kiev with access to NATO’s arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons within five years was posted on Thursday to the official website of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

According to the petition, it would be advisable for the Ukrainian head of state to "instruct the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers to draft a bill on providing Ukraine with access to tactical nuclear weapons under the framework of [Kiev’s] cooperation with NATO within the next five years."

Under the initiative, Kiev would be empowered to request that NATO deploy tactical nuclear weapons at the North Atlantic Alliance’s bases located in close proximity to Ukrainian territory so that such weapons could then be transferred to the Ukrainian air force. According to the petition’s author, tactical nuclear weapons could subsequently be deployed at any NATO bases that may be sited on Ukrainian soil in the future.

As of 3:45 p.m. Moscow time, 64 individuals had already signed the petition. In order for the Ukrainian president to review the initiative, the document must garner 25,000 votes within 90 days.

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