Valentyna Mereshchuk, Editor of Current Edition
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, considers Russian President Volodymyr Putin's statement about his readiness to use nuclear weapons if the West intervenes in Russia's war against Ukraine to be a bluff. Zelenskyy said this in an interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit, writes "Liga."
"I think it's a bluff. It's one thing to be a murderer. To commit suicide is another thing." Any use of nuclear weapons will mean the end not only for the person who uses them but also for everything that can be valuable and meaningful in life for this man, "the president said.
Asked whether it was a mistake to sign the Budapest Memorandum in 1994, Zelensky said that "it was a mistake for the signatories to violate the terms of the Budapest Memorandum."
"Why? Because there are countries in the world that want nuclear weapons or know that their neighbors want to seize them or seize territory from them. If "Budapest" was effective, we could say to these countries: here are the safety guarantees you can get, so don't even think about nuclear weapons, "Zelenskyy said.
Also, he said that the aggression against Ukraine is a clear sign to the whole world that the guarantees do not work, even when the strongest countries in the world have signed them.
Russia itself has guaranteed our safety. And now it is trying to destroy us. Who in the world will believe in the force of treaties if they fear for their existence? Therefore, significantly punishing Russia for this invasion of Ukraine and achieving the liberation of our territory means restoring the force of international law. The West can do that, "he said.
On 27 February 2022, Putin ordered to transfer of defense forces into a particular mode of combat duty. He justified this decision by allegedly aggressive statements by NATO officials.