Moscow, Russia. Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service accused Ukraine of trying to obtain a nuclear weapon with help from Britain and France, a claim Ukraine dismissed as false. France and Britain also rejected the allegation.
Allegations and denials
In a statement published on the fourth anniversary of the war, the SVR said Britain and France believed Ukraine could secure more favourable terms for ending the war if it possessed “a nuclear bomb, or at least a so-called ‘dirty bomb’.” The SVR did not provide documentary evidence to support its assertion.
A French foreign ministry spokesperson described the allegation as “blatant disinformation.” A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “There’s no truth to this.”
Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, told Reuters that Ukraine had denied similar Russian claims before and denied them again.
Ukraine’s position on nuclear weapons
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has previously criticised Kyiv’s decision to give up its former Soviet nuclear arsenal in the 1990s without obtaining proper, binding security guarantees. Ukraine has said it does not seek to re-acquire nuclear weapons and that it respects all international treaties.
SVR claim on support from London and Paris
The SVR said London and Paris were “actively working” on the provision of nuclear weapons and delivery systems to Ukraine, while making it appear as though Kyiv had obtained them by itself.
Dirty bomb definition
A dirty bomb is an explosive device laced with radioactive material that could contaminate a wide area, but it is different from an atomic weapon designed to trigger a massive nuclear explosion.
Russian warnings and impact on talks
Throughout the conflict, Moscow has repeatedly issued veiled nuclear threats to deter the West from expanding its support for Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was warning again about the risks of direct military confrontation between nuclear powers and its potentially serious consequences.
Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov as saying Moscow would brief the United States on the matter and that it would affect U.S.-brokered talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
What impact, if any, do you think these competing claims could have on U.S.-brokered talks to end the war?