Trump Envoy's Ukraine Nuke Remark Ignites Fury

U.S. President Donald Trump Richard Grenell, who served as the Special Envoy for Special Missions, faced criticism after stating that the nuclear weapons in Ukraine following the collapse of the Soviet Union were merely " leftovers" sent back to Moscow.

Why It Matters

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited a cache of nuclear weapons, making it possess the third-largest nuclear arsenal globally at that time.

Then-U.S. President Bill Clinton At the time, Russia’s leader Boris Yeltsin and Ukraine’s President Leonid Kravchuk signed an agreement referred to as the Trilateral Statement. in January 1994 As per the accord, Ukraine agreed to move the nuclear arms kept within its borders to Russia for destruction.

Russia, the U.S., and the UK subsequently provided Ukraine with various security "guarantees" in return for eliminating these nuclear arms from its territory through the Budapest Memorandum later that same year. Additionally, Ukraine joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a nation without nuclear weapons.

Russia violated the Budapest Memorandum When it began operations against the Crimean peninsula in 2014, and when the Kremlin initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years prior. In December, Ukraine's for The agency marked three decades since the memorandum was signed by referring to it as a "testament to shortsightedness in strategic security decisions."

What To Know

Trump's representative, Richard Grenell, stated shortly share on X by Tuesday regarding the Nuclear weapons in Ukraine following the collapse of the Soviet Union belonged to Russia and were considered remnants.

Kiev "returned the nuclear weapons" to Moscow, according to Grenell, who added: "These arms did not belong to Ukraine. It’s an inconvenient truth."

Oleksandr Merezkho, who serves as the chairman of Ukraine's parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee and is also a member of the Ukrainian President’s team, Volodymyr Zelensky 's party, told gudangmovies21 He was astonished by the representative from Trump expressing a "completely incorrect" statement.

Merezhko stated that the comments were "entirely disgraceful." He further noted that Ukraine, being a successor state to the dissolved USSR, had rightful ownership over these weapons, which served as the sole effective defense against assaults from Russia.

Steven Pifer, a previous U.S. ambassador Ambassador to Ukraine during the Clinton administration stated that Trump's special representative was incorrect, and the nuclear warheads present in Ukraine in the 1990s belonged to the ex-Soviet Union rather than Russia.

"In his social media post, he stated that warheads in storage were under exclusive Ukrainian control," adding that intercontinental ballistic missiles and bomber aircraft within the nation had been "destroyed," with only a few being transferred to Russia.

In the mid-1990s, Ukraine found itself in a "highly susceptible" situation, facing potential diplomatic isolation and pressure from both Washington and Moscow, according to Merezhko.

Clinton stated in 2023 that he had a "personal interest" in Ukraine's conflict with Russia due to his involvement in encouraging Kyiv to relinquish nuclear arms.

Clinton stated during an interview with Irish broadcaster RT É that she was aware President Putin did not back the pact President Yeltsin signed, vowing never to encroach upon Ukraine’s territorial integrity—a commitment Yeltsin made to encourage Ukraine to relinquish its nuclear arsenal.

Kiev was "hesitant to relinquish them," according to the ex-president, due to the perception that possessing a nuclear arsenal was the "sole means" to shield themselves against an "expansionary Russia."

"When it suited his interests, President Putin chose to violate international norms by initially annexing Crimea," Clinton stated.

Grenell's comments follow those made by Trump's Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt—who is leading the ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine—where he seemingly misplaced parts of Ukrainian geography and referred to Putin as not being a "bad person."

What People Are Saying

Grenell mentioned that the nuclear weapons present in Ukraine during the breakup of the USSR belonged to Russia and were remnants from the former regime.

Anton Gerashchenko, a previous consultant for Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs Ukraine surrendered our nuclear weapons in return for a pledge from Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to defend us, not because these weapons were 'Russia's,' of course.

What Happens Next

The future direction of a ceasefire facilitated by the U.S., potentially relying on American security assurances and commitments from Russia to avoid resuming hostilities, remains uncertain. Both European officials and Ukrainian authorities are observing this situation with significant concern.

Related Articles

• Russia Rejects Claims of Fresh Ukrainian Invasion in Belgorod
• The 1600: This Is How the White House Should Have Managed 'Signalgate'
• European Country Uncovers Russian Misinformation Scheme
• What Russia and Ukraine Stand toGain From the Trump-Mediated Black Sea Truce

Start your unlimited gudangmovies21trial