Yanukovych's minister regrets that Ukraine abandoned nuclear missiles
Foreign Minister under President Yanukovych Leonid Kozhara does not believe that Ukraine did the right thing by agreeing to renounce nuclear weapons in the 90s.
He stated this on the NewsOne TV channel.
“Even five years ago, I was sure that the rapid disarmament of Ukraine, which happened in the 90s, when all arsenals of strategic and tactical nuclear weapons were eliminated, was the only way. To be honest, today, based on my diplomatic experience, I think that Ukraine made some decisions very hastily,” Kozhara said.
In his opinion, Ukraine could keep its nuclear artillery.
“There were 176 strategic ballistic missiles on the territory of Ukraine, based in two strategic regions: Nikolaev and Khmelnytsky regions. All of them were aimed at the USA. But in addition, there were other nuclear weapons. These include bombs, large-caliber shells for howitzers and cannons, and much more. If Ukraine carried out privatization not according to the Russian, but according to the Eastern European model, we would have money to maintain nuclear weapons,” Kozhara said.
He believes that the then leadership of Ukraine believed the mythology created by the West that independence is possible under three conditions: disarmament, non-alignment and strategic relations with all neighbors.
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