Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Blames US Nuclear Policies For Unleashing 'Major War' in Europe

The adviser to the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s office said Washington's “wrong” nuclear policy led to war in Europe.

What Happened: Mykhailo Podolyak took to Twitter to say the U.S. and other Western nations encouraged Ukraine to give up nuclear weapons as the former Soviet Union collapsed, offering safeguards in return. 

Podolyak said the West's move was misinterpreted by Russia, leading to conflict between Kyiv and Moscow.

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"The only way to ensure security in Europe today is through the return of respect for international law: the return of the occupied territories back to Ukraine, bringing war criminals to justice, and the country’s full membership in NATO."

Podolyak comments came after a new bipartisan House of Representatives resolution was introduced on Tuesday to reaffirm the U.S. position that Ukraine should be “restored to its internationally recognized 1991 borders.”

Why It Matters: At the end of the Cold War, Ukraine had a collection of nuclear weapons inherited from its membership with the Soviet Union. In 1994, Ukraine decided to relinquish them after the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine signed the Trilateral Statement.

The Budapest Memorandum, signed in the same year, also offered Ukraine assurance of security in return for the elimination of nuclear weapons from its territory.

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