Ukraine may acquire nuclear weapons amid Donbas conflict: Diplomat

Amid escalating tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, a Ukrainian diplomat has warned that his country may be forced to acquire nuclear weapons to safeguard its territory if NATO does not accede to its membership request. With the conflict in eastern Donbas escalating, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelelnsky spoke to NATO’s Secretary-General earlier this month, with the motive to fast track the acquisition of “NATO membership”. Ukraine has long been an ally of NATO, but not a member.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany Andriy Malnyk, speaking at a public radio network stressed that the Zelelnsky administration was currently weighing down all possible options to defend the country including that of acquiring nuclear arms. “Either we are part of an alliance like NATO and also make our contribution to strengthening this Europe, or we have only one option; to rearm ourselves. “How else could we guarantee our defence?, ” Malnyk told Deutschlandfunk on April 15. 

Earlier, Zelelnsky talked to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urging for Ukraine to be put on a pathway to future membership. In further fanatic diplomatic attempts, Zelensky dialled UK PM Boris Johnson and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau urging them to facilitate its accession o NATO while also increasing their presence in the conflict-hit region. However, Moscow has been making the process difficult with its blatant opposition to the request.  

Earlier, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed the Western military alliance's "unwavering" support for Ukraine and warned Moscow on April 13. Stoltenberg at a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the Russian movements "unjustified, unexplained and deeply concerning". 

Russia-Ukraine escalation 

Kyiv has accused Moscow of massing thousands of military personnel on its northern and eastern borders along with the Crimean peninsula annexed by Moscow back in 2014. The reports of buildup have emerged amid an escalation of armed clashes between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in the east of the nation. The year-long conflict has claimed over 13,000 lives since 2014, as per the United Nations (UN) tally. Since July 2020, an uneasy cease-fire has been in effect. While the longstanding conflict is still unresolved, the latest escalation was triggered after four Ukrainian soldiers died on March 26 and Kyiv blamed the incident on Moscow. 

Image Credits: deutschlandfunk/Thomas Trutschel