Putin says Ukrainian hints about nuclear bombs are pure provocation

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the hints by the Ukrainian leadership regarding the possible production of nuclear weapons as a "dangerous provocation."

He said any step in this direction would "provoke an appropriate response." Putin made these remarks during a conversation with journalists from the so-called BRICS countries in Moscow.

While acknowledging that it is not difficult to produce nuclear weapons in the modern world, he expressed doubt about Ukraine's capabilities to do so. He said, "I don't know if Ukraine is currently capable of this. For Ukraine today, it is not so simple, but generally speaking, there aren't major difficulties here."

Putin was publicly responding for the first time to statements by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky had reaffirmed his demand for a swift invitation to NATO membership on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels, stating that otherwise his country would be left with no option but nuclear rearmament in order to defend itself against Russia's invasion.

Zelensky also recalled unmet commitments from the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. At that time, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine relinquished the Soviet nuclear weapons stationed on its territory. The nuclear powers had promised security to the country, but this, he said, had not worked.

According to Putin, Russia sees no possibility for Ukraine to secretly build a nuclear bomb. He said, "Russia is capable of tracking any movement that aims to help Kiev acquire nuclear weapons."