China may have stopped Putin from using nuclear weapons, Blinken says
"We have reason to believe that China engaged Russia and said: 'Don't go there,'" outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Financial Times on Jan. 3.
Nuclear weapons
Slavoj Žižek: Ukraine’s fight against Russia is a metaphysical struggle for survival
To understand recent fears about the possible escalation of Russia’s war on Ukraine into a nuclear conflict, we must revisit its beginnings, where the groundwork for this crisis was laid. Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, articulated the wager underpinning Russia’
More than two-thirds of Ukrainians favor idea of restoring nuclear arms arsenal, poll shows
Around half of the respondents said they would support the development of nuclear weapons even at the price of losing Western aid and coming under sanctions.
The West is pushing Ukraine toward concessions that will backfire
French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Premier Donald Tusk met on Dec. 12 in Warsaw. High on the agenda was how to support Ukraine in the “new Transatlantic context.” On the sidelines of the visit, the Élysée emphasized that “France’s position is that it is necessary to support Ukraine
When Ukraine was the third-largest nuclear power
For the 30th anniversary of the Budapest Memorandum, The Kyiv Independent’s Daria Shulzhenko visits a former Soviet-era nuclear missile silo in south Ukraine.
'Not a single day did this document work' — Zelensky on 30th anniversary of Budapest Memorandum
Zelensky added that effective guarantees are currently needed for Ukraine's security, namely "real alliances and a real security foundation within the country," as well as "weapons that enable defense and deterrence of the enemy."
30 years ago today, Ukraine traded nuclear arms for security assurances, a decision that still haunts Kyiv today
On Dec. 5, 1994, Ukraine had signed a set of political agreements that would guarantee the country's sovereignty and independence in return for accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Signed in Budapest, the memorandum would lay grounds for Ukraine to dispose of its nuclear arsenal
'A more dangerous Russia' — UK armed forces chief issues stark 'third nuclear age' warning
The world faces the dawn of a "third nuclear age," the head of the U.K.'s armed forces Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said on Dec. 4.
Could Ukraine build a nuclear bomb? We asked an expert
The Kyiv Independent’s reporter Oleg Sukhov sat down with Robert Kelley to discuss whether the weapon Ukraine gave up would be of much use now and if the country still has the capacity to produce a nuclear device.
US not considering returning nuclear weapons to Ukraine, Sullivan says
The United States is not considering returning to Ukraine the nuclear weapons the country previously agreed to give up under the Budapest Memorandum, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in an interview on Dec. 1.
Almost 40% of Russians think nuclear strike on Ukraine is justified, Russian sociologist says
Vladimir Putin's talks of a potential nuclear strike "gradually lead to an increase in the proportion of (Russians) who believe it is acceptable, in fact, morally justified," Russian sociologist Alexey Levinson said.
Russia 'unlikely' to launch nuclear attack despite Putin's threats, US intelligence says
Intelligence assessments over the past seven months have shown that a nuclear escalation is unlikely to result from a decision to ease restrictions on Ukraine's use of U.S. weapons.
'Honestly, go f**k yourself' — Ukrainians react to Joe Rogan’s rant on Ukraine
Joe Rogan, one of the world's most popular podcasters, has sparked outrage in Ukraine, after claiming that Kyiv and its Western allies, rather than Russia, "are about to start World War III." In an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience last Friday, the U.S. host criticized the outgoing President
The Counteroffensive: Ukraine’s nuclear ambitions fueled by betrayal, hindered by feasibility
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on Nov. 23, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to The Counteroffensive, click here. For a brief period just over 30 years ago, Ukraine possessed the third-largest
Opinion: Nuclear escalation fears can't override Ukraine's right to defend itself
Following Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic congresswoman from New York, publicly appealed to those who had voted for both her and Trump. She wanted to know what motivated such an apparently inconsistent choice, and the predominant answer she heard was
War in Ukraine at 'decisive stage,' risk of 'global conflict,' Poland's Tusk says
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's comments came in the wake of Russia's attack on Dnipro a day earlier.
White House sees no indication of Russia preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine
"We haven’t seen any indications of Russia preparing to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine. We just have not seen that," White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said on Nov. 21.
North Korea's Kim accuses US of stoking potential 'thermonuclear war'
The comments came on the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country had launched its "newest missile," an IRBM called "Oreshnik," in an attack on Dnipro, eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine war latest: Ukraine reportedly strikes Russia with Storm Shadow missiles for first time
Key developments on Nov. 20: * Ukraine strikes Russia with Storm Shadows for the first time, Bloomberg reports * Biden approves delivery of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine in light of Russian gains in east * Ukrainian drones allegedly strike Russian factories, weapons arsenal * North Korean troops in Russia to be led by secrecy-shrouded
Russian officials threaten US over long-range strikes, allude to nuclear doctrine changes
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Nov. 19 that Moscow "will respond accordingly" to Washington's permission for Ukraine to strike Russian soil with U.S. weapons.
No signs Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Pentagon says
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh dismissed Russia’s rhetoric surrounding its nuclear policy as a continuation of its behavior over the past two years.
'Putin is playing with our fears' — German FM on Russia's updated nuclear doctrine
Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to intimidate the West by expanding the conditions for using nuclear weapons in Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Nov. 19.
Putin approves Russia's updated nuclear doctrine
The revised doctrine outlines scenarios that could justify a nuclear strike. It implies that this could include "aggression against the Russian Federation and its allies by a non-nuclear state with the support of a nuclear state" and large-scale non-nuclear attacks, such as those carried out with drones.
Foreign Ministry responds to rumors of Kyiv's plans to build nuclear bomb
"Ukraine is committed to the NPT (the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons); we do not possess, develop, or intend to acquire nuclear weapons," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said via X.
Opinion: Western inaction on Ukraine’s security guarantees opens door to global nuclear proliferation
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is approaching its 11th year, with three years of full-scale war. In search of security guarantees like NATO membership, Ukraine has been left in limbo due to Russian-occupied territories and Western bureaucracy. In light of Russian advances and Western indecision, Kyiv has stated that NATO
Will Ukraine develop its own nuclear weapons?
Amid the looming risk that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may pull the plug on Washington's support for Ukraine, Kyiv has begun to flirt with the option of nuclear deterrence. The prospect of such a scenario was raised weeks earlier when President Volodymyr Zelensky in October said he had told
Zelensky used talk with Trump about nuclear weapons as leverage before crucial US election, analysts say
With Ukraine's future hanging in the balance ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election, Ukraine’s president turned up the heat, invoking the specter of nuclear weapons to nudge whoever lands in the Oval Office toward offering more conventional weaponry and robust security guarantees to Kyiv. Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukraine not developing nuclear weapons, Foreign Ministry says
"We officially refute the insinuations of unnamed sources in the Bild publication regarding Ukraine's alleged plans to develop weapons of mass destruction."
Ukraine war latest: Zelensky says he told Trump that either Ukraine will join NATO or pursue nuclear weapons
Key developments on Oct. 17: * Zelensky says he told Trump that either Ukraine will join NATO or pursue nuclear weapons * Zelensky walks back earlier comments on Ukraine's possible plan to obtain nuclear weapons * 'First step to World War' — North Korea preparing 10,000 soldiers to join Russia's war, Zelensky confirms
Zelensky walks back earlier comments on Ukraine's possible plan to obtain nuclear weapons
"We never spoke about...that we are preparing to create nuclear weapons or something like this," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky says he told Trump that either Ukraine will join NATO or pursue nuclear weapons
"Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons, which will serve as protection, or it must be part of some kind of alliance. Apart from NATO, we do not know of such an effective alliance," President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he had told Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
NATO holding annual nuclear drills involving 2,000 troops, 60 aircraft
The two-week drills will involve over 2,000 military personnel and 60 aircraft from eight airbases. They will take place in Belgium, the Netherlands, and in the airspace over Denmark, the U.K., and the North Sea, with 13 NATO countries sending aircraft to participate.
(Updated: )
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