Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov told Sputnik that Kiev has technological capacity for nuclear development.

Responding to whether Ukraine was currently conducting nuclear developments, Azarov responded, "Even now, Ukraine with all the destruction and disintegration is a high-tech state, which has all the necessary specialists and equipment."

"You probably do not know, but Kiev has its own small nuclear reactor, designed for research work. Moreover, Ukraine has nuclear power units. Ukraine has uranium deposits." 

According to the former PM, despite Ukraine being the poorest country in Europe and the objective not being vital at the moment, "there is a technical possibility," adding that Ukraine could have developed nuclear weapons in 2-3 years.

Budapest memorandum

Before the start of the Russian military operation, on the 20th of last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at the Munich Security Conference that he would start consultations within the framework of reconsidering the Budapest Memorandum.

Zelensky told the Munich Security Conference he "instructed the Foreign Ministry to convene a summit of the countries - signatories to the Budapest Memorandum. If it fails to take place or refuses to give Ukraine security guarantees, Kiev will recognize it as well as the clauses signed in 1994 as null and void." 

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

Azarov: Kiev will not agree to neutrality or recognize DPR, LPR

Azarov also told Sputnik that the Ukrainian authorities would neither agree to the neutral status of Ukraine nor recognize the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, as the US does not permit it. 

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He said, "I think it is impossible, the Americans will not allow it. Of course, the Americans have achieved their main goal - the bloodshed between Russia and Ukraine has begun, and the longer this bloodshed continues, the longer the human, material, financial resources are spent on this conflict, the better for the Americans. They got opportunities, let's say, economic opportunities, causing enormous difficulties to Russia, and that is not a concern at all. So they are unlikely to allow [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy to make this sort of a decision."

The former PM said Zelensky is under pressure from Nazi and nationalist gangs who will not permit him to make any decisions on his own.

He called Zelensky "a puppet incapable to make his own decisions." 

Azarov revealed that "the psychology of these people is that we can promise anything we want, we can sign anything we want, but we will not do anything."

Yesterday, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesperson Igor Konashenkov pointed out that Kiev wanted to accuse Russia of creating a radiation focus at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP).

On Thursday, the Russian National Guard thwarted a terrorist act by Ukrainian extremists at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, Konashenkov announced, noting that the national guard took control of the NPP to avoid a recurrence of extremist attacks on it.

The Ministry accused Ukraine of attempting to implement a monstrous provocation on the territory adjacent to the NPP.

In particular, while patrolling the protected area adjacent to the station, a mobile patrol of the Russian National Guard was attacked by a group of Ukrainian nationalists.

Zelensky wanted to use Zaporizhzhia to establish no-fly zone

Azarov also revealed to Sputnik that Zelensky had wanted to use the Zaporizhzhia incident to sway Western countries into establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

The former PM called the incident a "deliberate provocation", detailing that "no sane Russian or Ukrainian soldier would ever dare to carry out this sort of provocation on the territory of the Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which has six nuclear power units."

He added that even a small fire at the center was still an emergency situation "at such a supercategory nuclear facility."

Azarov considered that Zelensky's video message on Friday, wherein he called NATO "weak" shows that this "was a prepared provocation. Which he was aware of, because he used this provocation to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine."

Zelensky further said that the summit was "confused", and it "shows that not everyone considers the fight for freedom in Europe the number one goal."