Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has once again lamented Ukraine’s lack of nuclear weapons, arguing that their absence leaves the country vulnerable to Russian aggression. In a candid interview with US podcaster Lex Fridman on January 5, Zelensky aired his frustrations over what he perceives as the failure of Western security guarantors to uphold their commitments to Ukraine under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. His remarks have reignited debates over nuclear disarmament, security guarantees, and the role of Western allies in Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia.

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, signed in 1994, was a pivotal agreement in the post-Cold War era. It saw Ukraine relinquish its inherited nuclear arsenal-the third-largest in the world at the time-in exchange for assurances from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom that its sovereignty and territorial integrity would be respected. This disarmament was hailed as a triumph of diplomacy and non-proliferation, but Zelensky’s recent remarks suggest that Ukraine has come to view the memorandum as a grave mistake.

“Ukraine had security guarantees,” Zelensky emphasized in the interview. “The Budapest Memorandum, nuclear weapons-this is what we had. Today, the fact that we do not have them is bad.” He expressed frustration that these guarantees failed to prevent Russia from annexing Crimea in 2014 and from launching its broader military offensive in 2022.

Zelensky’s criticism was not limited to Moscow. He accused the US, UK, and other nuclear powers of ignoring Ukraine’s repeated pleas for stronger support. Speaking........

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