Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia would not allow Ukraine to acquire nuclear weapons, in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s comments about the need for either nuclear weapons or NATO membership for security. Zelenskiy clarified that Ukraine was not preparing to build nuclear weapons, as it had voluntarily relinquished them in the 1990s. Ukraine gave up its Soviet-era nuclear arms in exchange for territorial integrity guarantees, a deal it claims Russia violated by invading its land.
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