Is Ukraine rebuilding its nuclear arsenal? Kyiv’s reaction to Bild’s statements

18 October 21:03

Bild has published an article that discusses Ukraine’s possible consideration of restoring its nuclear arsenal in the event of a new Russian offensive against Kyiv. The author of the article, Julian Repke, cited an anonymous source among Ukrainian officials who said that it would take Ukraine only a few weeks to produce its first nuclear warhead.

Ukraine’s official reaction

Dmytro Lytvyn , the Presidential Communications Advisor, categorically denied this information, calling it “absurd”. According to him, such statements do not differ from the rhetoric of Russian propagandists, who also spread similar rumours. Lytvyn stressed that Ukraine has no plans to resume its nuclear programme.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation, also commented, saying that any assumptions about Ukraine’s nuclear weapons are “fantasies” of Western journalists and have no real basis.

During a joint briefing with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine had never declared its intention to develop nuclear weapons. He noted that earlier he had only mentioned the Budapest Memorandum, according to which Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees that were never provided.

“I was talking about the Budapest Memorandum, which provided security guarantees for Ukraine. However, it was not a reliable umbrella, and we have no other options but NATO. We are not building nuclear weapons,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine chooses NATO over nuclear weapons

The NATO Secretary General briefly reaffirmed the Alliance’s support for Ukraine.

“Ukraine will be in NATO. And before that, we will do everything to ensure that Ukraine has everything it needs to defend itself,” Mark Rutte said

Zelenskyy added that the invitation to NATO would strengthen Ukraine’s position on the diplomatic front and help bring about a just peace.

However, it is possible to speculate where the author of the Bild article, Julian Repke, got the information about the restoration of the nuclear arsenal in the near future.

Most likely, the journalist misunderstood the words of the President of Ukraine, who said that during his conversation with US presidential candidate Donald Trump, he discussed the critical need for Ukraine to join NATO.

Zelenskyy noted that Kyiv had given up nuclear weapons but had not received the promised security guarantees.

At a press conference after the European Council meeting, where the President of Ukraine presented his Victory Plan, he mentioned the Budapest Memorandum, which, in his opinion, did not fulfil its role in protecting Ukraine after the country gave up its nuclear arsenal.


“Which of the major nuclear powers suffered? All of them? No, only Ukraine. Who
gave up nuclear weapons? All of them? No, only Ukraine. Who is waging war today?
Ukraine,” Zelenskyy stressed.


During his conversation with Trump, he raised the issue of possible ways to protect
of the country.


“I said to Trump: “What can we do? Either Ukraine should again
have nuclear weapons as a means of defence, or we need to be part of
of some kind of alliance. And today we do not see any effective option,
except for NATO,” Zelenskyy said.


The President added that none of the NATO member states is currently involved in the war,
which makes the Alliance the most reliable defender for Ukraine.


“That is why we choose NATO over nuclear weapons,” Zelenskyy stressed.


The leader also noted that his arguments resonated with Trump, who recognised them as “fair”.


Should Ukraine restore its nuclear status?


In an exclusive commentary for Komersant UkrainianKomersant Ukrainian, military expert and retired Armed Forces colonel Roman Svitan said that the decision to
decision to give up nuclear weapons, made during the rule of Leonid Kravchuk and
Leonid Kuchma, was a strategic mistake for Ukraine.


“The minimum we should not have done is to lose our nuclear status. The loss of the nuclear umbrella left Ukraine without proper security guarantees. Therefore, the nuclear status should be restored,” Roman Svitan emphasised.

According to Svitan, the issue of nuclear weapons should not remain at the level of
political manipulations or rhetoric used by some politicians to create geopolitical tension. From a military point of view, he believes that
restoring nuclear capabilities is a necessary step for Ukraine.


“The sooner we do it, the better, although the process will not be
will not be quick,” said Roman Svitan.

Ways to restore nuclear status

Svitan offers several options for implementing this strategy. One of them is Ukraine’s participation in NATO’s nuclear exchange programme, similar to the one already being implemented by countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Turkey. These states store US tactical nuclear weapons on their bases, and he said that Ukraine could also deploy such weapons on its territory after joining NATO.

“The best option for Ukraine would be to deploy B-61-12 tactical bombs, which are already used for nuclear deterrence, at its bases. This would be a quick and relatively simple process,” Svitan emphasised.

In addition, Roman Svitan reminded that Ukraine has all the necessary resources to restore its nuclear arsenal.

“We have uranium mines, we are mining uranium and are already sending it to Westinghouse for enrichment. We have a uranium enrichment plant that can be expanded to produce materials for nuclear weapons,” said Roman Svitan.

According to Svitan, an important step for this would be to restore the two nuclear reactors at the Chornobyl NPP, which were shut down in 1996 and 2000. According to him, these reactors can produce the plutonium needed to make nuclear warheads.

“Technically, we already have the ability to launch a full nuclear weapons production cycle. It all depends on the decision of the country’s leadership and funding. Without restoring its nuclear potential, Ukraine will remain vulnerable on the global stage,” Svitan concluded.

According to the military expert, a strategic decision to restore the nuclear status is necessary for Ukraine’s further security and prosperity.

“Restoration of the nuclear status is the key to our security and strong position on the world stage,” the military expert concluded.

Thus, official Kyiv strongly denies rumours about the restoration of the nuclear arsenal, emphasising the priority of joining NATO and cooperation within international security structures.

However, the question arises: should Ukraine consider restoring its nuclear status in the future? After all, history shows that countries with nuclear capabilities have strong levers of deterrence against aggressors. It is hard to say whether Putin would have dared to wage a full-scale war against Ukraine if it were still a nuclear power. This question may become a strategic challenge for future Ukrainian leaders.

Author – Anastasia Fedor

Мандровська Олександра
Editor