. If the defense alliance says no, the country is considering purchasing nuclear weapons, says Ukraine's ambassador to Germany.
"Either we are part of an alliance like NATO and thus contribute to the strengthening of Europe, or we have another alternative, which is arming ourselves," said Ambassador Andriy Nelnyk of Deutschlandfunk radio station.
According to Nelnyk, this country "may also assess its nuclear status".
- How else can we guarantee our defense, he asks.
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In 1994, Ukraine was the world's third largest nuclear power after inheriting nearly 2000 nuclear warheads after the collapse of the Soviet Union. All nuclear warheads were transported to Russia in exchange for the respect of Ukraine's borders by the Russians, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Russia and Ukraine have been in conflict since the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by the Russians in 2014. Since then, Ukraine has been fighting pro-Russian separatists in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in the east of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently told NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg that only NATO can stop war in eastern Ukraine.
.@jensstoltenberg, we are committed to reforming our army and defense sector, but reforms alone will not stop Russia. @NATO is the only way to end the war in #Donbass. Ukraine's MAP will be a real signal for #Russia pic.twitter.com/wdkp4LWxxD
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) April 6, 2021
Stoltenberg declared that NATO “Strongly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” but did not address the issue of the country's membership. He assured that the Alliance "remains committed to close cooperation" with Kiev. NATO is "seriously concerned about Russian military action in and around Ukraine" and "the continuing breach of the ceasefire," Stoltenberg said.
I called President @ZelenskyyUa to express serious concern about Russia's military activities in and around Ukraine & ongoing ceasefire violations. #NATO firmly supports # Ukraine's sovereignty & territorial integrity. We remain committed to our close partnership.
- Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) April 6, 2021
