Ukraine can deter Russian aggression with nuclear weapons — Kemp

He recalled that in January this year, a declaration on a century-long strategic partnership between the United Kingdom and Ukraine was signed. This document covers broad cooperation in the defense, intelligence, economic, and climate spheres, etc.

One thing I didn't notice there, although I think there should be, is the nuclear capability. The UK has a semi-independent nuclear capability, but it's only strategic nuclear weapons. We no longer have combat nuclear weapons.

Richard Kemp

Military expert

According to him, the item on nuclear weapons should be in some secret annex, but the military man doubts this. At the same time, according to him, the Russian Federation has a large number of combat nuclear weapons and strategic nuclear weapons of wide range of destruction.

If this partnership document was supposed to be something like a bilateral NATO agreement, as it seemed to present itself, then I really think it should have included the words "nuclear weapons." I know people are terrified of the words "nuclear weapons." But you can't deter a country armed with nuclear weapons without a nuclear capability. And you can't deter nuclear weapons on the battlefield with strategic nuclear weapons. It just doesn't matter.

He believes that part of this declaration should have included a commitment by the UK to develop combat nuclear weapons. Kemp acknowledged that this would be expensive but could act as a deterrent against Russia or help Ukraine develop its own nuclear capability.

So I don't think we should just ignore the idea of the nuclear issue, which seems to be being silenced today, and I think that's wrong. Maybe we need to have a multilateral agreement with NATO. And also help Ukraine develop its own nuclear capability.