The UK's The Times newspaper has reported that Ukraine, if it cuts off military aid from the US, could theoretically develop a simple nuclear bomb within months. The report, prepared for the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, says Kyiv could create a basic nuclear device from plutonium using technology similar to that used to create the Fat Man bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945.

According to the data presented in the document, Ukraine can extract plutonium from spent fuel rods of its nuclear power plants. Considering that the country has approximately five tons of plutonium, experts assume the possibility of creating about 150-200 warheads. Although such statements have caused concern, the Ukrainian side denies intentions to create nuclear weapons, emphasizing its commitment to international obligations.

The publication cites recent statements by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who earlier said during a conversation with US President-elect Donald Trump that Ukraine should either become part of NATO or develop its own nuclear deterrent to protect itself from potential aggression. Despite this, Zelensky later clarified that his statement was more about the unrealized promises of the Budapest Memorandum, according to which Ukraine renounced its nuclear arsenal in exchange for security guarantees from the US, Great Britain and Russia.

The conflicting reports have provoked a reaction from the international community. Some experts have called Ukraine's possible intentions "smart blackmail" that they believe could influence the West's position on the Ukrainian issue.

Ukrainian diplomats, however, have strongly rejected such suggestions. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhyi said Kyiv continues to strictly adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and cooperates closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to Tykhyi, Ukraine is fully transparent to international monitoring, which rules out the possibility of developing nuclear weapons.