Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine refuted a recent article of The Timeswho suggested that Ukraine might develop nuclear weapons if US military aid were cut.

The British newspaper claimed that Ukraine could quickly build a basic nuclear device similar to the “Fat Man” bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945, based on a report prepared for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

“Ukraine is committed to the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons)… we do not possess, develop or intend to acquire nuclear weapons. Ukraine works closely with the IAEA and is fully transparent about its monitoring, which excludes the use of nuclear materials for military purposes,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhy posted on social media on Wednesday, November 13.

The Times article refers to a report by the Center for Military Disarmament, Conversion and Research, a major Ukrainian defense think tank. The report suggested that, if necessary, Ukraine could create a limited-yield nuclear device within months.

In May 1992, Russia, the US, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine signed the Lisbon Protocol, committing those countries to join the NPT as non-nuclear-weapon states as soon as possible.

However, terms for the transfer of the nuclear warheads were not immediately agreed upon, and some Ukrainian officials and lawmakers discussed the idea of ​​keeping as a result some of the modern missiles built in Ukraine and older warheads built by the Soviets.

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Why the West must supply superior weapons now

The “Axis of Evil” relies on its supply of cannon fodder and weapons to crush its enemies. The West must dispel fears of the “end of history” and respond with superior technological force.

But in 1993, both Kiev and Moscow signed a series of bilateral agreements, giving up Ukrainian claims to nuclear weapons and the Soviet-controlled Black Sea Fleet in Crimea in exchange for canceling oil and gas debts of 2.5 billions of dollars and the understanding that Moscow will as a result never invade Ukraine.

Recent events would suggest that the Kremlin will not accede to such treaties in the future.