US not planning to arm Kiev with nukes – Newsweek
The US is not planning to provide Ukraine with nuclear arms, Newsweek reported on Wednesday, citing an unnamed source in the White House.
It follows recent comments by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, in which he warned that any threat of nuclear weapons being supplied to Ukraine by the US would be viewed as preparation for war with Russia, while the actual transfer of such weapons would be tantamount to an attack on Moscow.
“We are not planning to equip Ukraine with nuclear weapons,” a White House source told the outlet on Tuesday.
Medvedev, who serves as the deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, issued the warning to Washington earlier this week, following reports that discussions had been held in the US about Ukraine obtaining a nuclear arsenal.
He pointed to a report by four New York Times journalists, which claimed US and EU officials were “discussing deterrence as a security guarantee” for Ukraine, adding that a conversation was underway to consider giving Kiev nuclear arms.
Medvedev argued that the idea of “giving nukes to a country that’s at war with the greatest nuclear power” is utterly absurd. He warned that transferring such weapons “may be considered as the launch of an attack against our country” in accordance with Russia’s recently revised nuclear doctrine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier this week suggested that talk of providing Ukraine with nuclear weapons had come from the “extremist flank” of Kiev’s Western backers, who have lost touch with reality. Such ideas are “absolutely irresponsible deliberations by people, who probably have a poor understanding” of reality, and who “do not feel a shred of responsibility” for the consequences of their proposals, the presidential spokesman said.
Last week, Russia formally updated its nuclear doctrine, allowing for a nuclear response to a conventional attack by a non-nuclear state supported by a power that possesses weapons of mass destruction.
Russia also carried out a strike on Ukraine using its new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic missile, saying it was a response to Kiev’s cross-border attacks using US-made ATACMS and HIMARS systems, as well as British-made Storm Shadow missiles.
