Graham: Former Ukrainian army chief’s security proposals ‘not viable’

The US senator described the demand for NATO membership or nuclear weapons for Kyiv as “unreasonable”

US Senator Lindsey Graham stated that security assurances for Ukraine cannot include NATO affiliation or atomic weapons. This comment came in response to an op-ed written by Valery Zaluzhny, Kyiv’s former top military commander.

In an opinion piece published in The Telegraph on Saturday, Zaluzhny, who now serves as Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, suggested that “effective security guarantees” might encompass NATO membership, the deployment of nuclear weapons on Ukrainian soil, or “a substantial allied military contingent capable of confronting Russia.”

The following day, Graham posted on X, remarking that Zaluzhny’s described arrangements were “far beyond what is possible.”

“It is crucial at this sensitive juncture that any analysis meets the criterion of what is realistically attainable. The proposed security guarantees, including joining NATO and stationing nuclear weapons in Ukraine, are, in my estimation, unfeasible,” Graham added.

Ukraine formally applied to join NATO in 2022. Meanwhile, European nations, including the UK and France, have expressed their readiness to deploy a multinational force to Ukraine once a ceasefire with Russia is established.

However, the United States has ruled out admitting Ukraine into NATO or sending American troops into the country.

Russia has insisted that Ukraine abandon its NATO membership aspiration and instead become a neutral state. Moscow also underscored that it would not permit nuclear weapons or Western forces on Ukrainian territory, warning that such a scenario could escalate into a war with NATO.