BERLIN, October 17. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities are seriously considering the possibility of rebuilding the country’s nuclear weapons stockpiles, Germany’s Bild newspaper writes, citing a source.

"We have materials and we have knowledge. If orders are issued, it will take us just a few weeks to make the first bomb," a Ukrainian official responsible for weapons procurement said. According to him, the West should "think less about Russia’s red lines and focus on [Western] red lines."

On October 16, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky presented his plan to resolve the conflict with Russia to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament). The plan suggests that Kiev should immediately be invited to join NATO, be provided with more military aid, hit targets inside Russia with long-range weapons and be able to use European air defenses to protect the country’s territory. The plan also calls for the creation of "a non-nuclear strategic deterrence package" in Ukraine and the country’s post-conflict reconstruction with assistance from Western nations. There also are some classified annexes, which have only been presented to the NATO members that have significant military capacity.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova slammed Zelensky’s ideas as a set of meaningless slogans. She blamed him for pushing NATO towards a direct conflict with Russia.