The Russian Foreign Ministry is concerned about Kiev's statements on revision of the nuclear-free status

Statements by representatives of the Ukrainian authorities about the revision of the state's nuclear-free status cause concern. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova made such a statement on 5 December.

"The statements by representatives of the Kiev regime, which not only call into question the viability of the Budapest memorandum but can also be interpreted as a direct request to revise Ukraine's nuclear-free status, cannot but cause concern," the ministry said in a statement on its website.

According to Zakharova, such a step would violate Kiev's obligation under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and would also create risks for international security.

The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman added that Russia considered Ukraine's acquisition of nuclear weapons categorically unacceptable and would not allow any of the scenarios.

She also recalled Russian President Vladimir Putin's words that statements about the return of nuclear weapons to Ukraine "can only be made by irresponsible people who are not responsible for anything and do not feel any responsibility for the fate of their countries and the world on their shoulders".

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On December 1, the US president's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan , ruled out the possibility of returning nuclear weapons to Kiev. However, he noted that the USA would continue to provide Ukraine with assistance and arms.

Before that, on 22 November, Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov said that the USA would not hand over nuclear weapons to Ukraine. In his opinion, this can happen only if everyone in the USA finally "goes crazy". He also emphasized that the transfer of nuclear weapons to Ukraine would drag the West into the "nuclear underworld".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term of office expired on May 20, said during his visit to the United States in October when speaking with Republican Donald Trump, who won the presidential election, that Kiev must either possess nuclear weapons or become a NATO member to win the current conflict.

The Budapest Memorandum was signed by Britain, Russia, the United States and Ukraine on December 5, 1994. The document provided guarantees of Ukraine's territorial integrity in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons.

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