NEW DELHI, November 27. /TASS/. The Western countries act irresponsibly by discussing the idea of transferring nuclear weapons to Kiev, this step can have a very negative impact on security in the region, military analyst Deependra Singh Hooda told TASS.
"Clearly, such a step will in no way add to Ukraine’s security but [will] have the opposite effect while having serious repercussions on regional stability," he said. "I do not think the US will seriously consider providing nuclear weapons to Ukraine, but even discussions on this aspect are irresponsible," the former army commander of India’s Northern Command said.
According to him, the recent decision by the US and the UK to use long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia from Ukraine and Russia's use of the Oreshnik missile in response to these actions have already raised concerns about a possible escalation of the conflict. "In such a situation, any talk about arming Ukraine with nuclear weapons is adding fuel to the fire," Hooda emphasized.
Earlier, The New York Times reported that some officials in the United States and European countries have suggested that Kiev return nuclear weapons that Ukraine gave up after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The newspaper noted, however, that such a step would be difficult to implement and could have "serious consequences."
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 21 that the United States and its NATO allies had earlier announced that they would authorize Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to hit inside Russia, after which American and British missiles struck Russian military facilities in the Kursk and Bryansk regions. He said that Russia responded to those attacks by firing Russia's newest Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile with a non-nuclear warhead at a Ukrainian defense industry facility, the Yuzhmash plant in Dnepr (formerly Dnepropetrovsk). The Russian leader emphasized that the West's provocative policies could have dire consequences if they further escalate the conflict.