Conversation with Trump

Selenskyj: Have “given away” nuclear weapons for war

In talks with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has called for strong military support and security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire in the war with Russia.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper "Il Foglio", Zelensky was convinced that this was the only way to prevent Moscow from reviving the war at a later date. At the same time, he complained that Ukraine had "given away" its nuclear weapons.

He had also spoken to Trump about the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, in which the USA, Great Britain and Russia gave the former Soviet republics of Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan strong security guarantees in return for the elimination of all nuclear weapons on their territory. In the meantime, everything has changed. When Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula and the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine, Kiev called on the guarantor powers to intervene, but there was no response. "Ukraine has given away its nuclear weapons," Selensky summarized.

Because of the sanctions, the strength of the USA, the economy - he can speed it up, he can do it faster than anyone else in the world, in my opinion.

Selenskyj über Trump

In retrospect, it would have been better if Ukraine had received security guarantees from NATO at the time. "So if I would trade nuclear weapons, I would trade them for something very strong, something that can really stop any aggressor, despite its size, territory, army and so on - and that is a strong army and the NATO security bloc," Selenskyj explained.

"We have exchanged nuclear weapons for war," he explained to Trump. Nevertheless, he was convinced that the US president could secure a strong position for Ukraine. "Because of the sanctions, the strength of the US, the economy - he can speed it up, he can do it faster than anyone else in the world in my opinion," said Selenskyj.