Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he has not been offered nuclear weapons by the UK or France, but stressed that he would accept such an offer “with pleasure.”
“With pleasure, but I didn’t have propositions. But with pleasure,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with Sky News, an excerpt of which was shared by Ukrainian media outlets, including the RBC-Ukraine news agency, when asked about Russian claims that Ukraine is "trying to get a nuclear weapon via Britain and France."
“No, it’s not happening,” Zelenskyy went on to say on Friday, commenting on if such a thing would take place.
Earlier this week, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service accused the UK and France of actively working to provide Kiev with a nuclear bomb.
It claimed that Britain and France believe that, by possessing nuclear weapons, Ukraine would be able to secure more favourable terms for ending the war, which entered its fifth year on Tuesday.
Speaking at a news conference in Kiev alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Zelenskyy had previously rejected Russia's accusations, dismissing them as pressure tactics ahead of upcoming US-mediated peace talks.
Peace efforts persist
Zelenskyy recently marked the fourth anniversary of the ongoing war between Moscow and Kiev and pledged to "do everything to secure peace and justice" in Ukraine.
"That (the fourth anniversary) says a great deal about our resistance, about how Ukraine has fought all this time. Behind those words stand millions of our people, immense courage, incredibly hard work, endurance, and the long path Ukraine has been pursuing since February 24," Zelenskyy said in a statement.
Ukraine-Russia peace talks remain active under heavy US mediation but show no major breakthrough.
Following bilateral US-Ukraine discussions in Geneva (focused on post-war reconstruction, security guarantees, and economic support), the next trilateral round involving Russia is expected in early March, likely in Abu Dhabi.
