Ukraine not going to produce nuclear weapons - Danilov

Ukraine is not going to produce nuclear weapons, Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov has said.

According to Ukrinform, he said this at a briefing on Wednesday, February 23.

"The president did not talk about the development of nuclear weapons. The president drew attention to the fulfillment by all signatories of the Budapest Memorandum of the conditions for our security, which were written out there in exchange for us giving up our nuclear weapons. Since we gave up our nuclear weapons, our nuclear potential, the signatories committed to ensuring our independence," Danilov said.

He added that he had "never seen or read anywhere" that Ukraine is going to produce nuclear weapons.

On February 19, at the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the initiation of consultations under the Budapest Memorandum.

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances in Connection with Ukraine's Accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is an international agreement concluded on December 5, 1994 between Ukraine, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States on guarantees to Ukraine in connection with it acquiring non-nuclear status. On the same day, Ukraine acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

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