As diplomats from Kyiv and Washington convene in Geneva for a fresh round of talks aimed at ending the four-year Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy, has issued a warning regarding the potential nuclearization of Ukraine.
In an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya English presenter Leigh-Ann Gerrans, Polyanskiy stated that any move by Britain or France to transfer nuclear weapons to Ukraine would lead to a catastrophic escalation.
The Ambassador dismissed the idea that Ukraine should be permitted to hold such weapons to match Russia’s arsenal, citing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
“Absolutely not. And this is the core idea of the NPT Treaty, which is a backbone of world security and stability,” Polyanskiy said. He expressed grave concerns over how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might use such a capability, alleging, “I can imagine that he would, of course, use this nuclear blackmail to further push his country into misery and to make his countrymen suffer.”
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Polyanskiy warned that a move toward creating “some kind of nuclear arms or to make some dirty bomb” would “trigger adequate response from the Russian side in accordance to our nuclear strategy.” He characterized this potential reaction as “a very powerful and overwhelming response,” adding that “there will be no limited nuclear conflict.”
Addressing the ongoing negotiations, the Ambassador noted that Russia’s “biggest concession” is its willingness to achieve the goals of its “special military operation” (war on Ukraine) through diplomacy rather than force. However, he maintained that any cessation of hostilities is contingent on Ukraine ruling out future threats and guaranteeing the rights of Russian speakers.
On the issue of financial reparations for war damage, Polyanskiy questioned who would compensate for the destruction in eastern territories “pillaged by Ukraine since 2014” and the Russian border regions like Kursk and Belgorod.
“I wouldn’t oversimplify these matters and portray them as black and white,” he remarked.
The Ambassador also disputed Western casualty figures. While organizations like the Centre for Strategic and International Studies suggest Russian casualties may reach 1.2 million, Polyanskiy pointed to recent body exchanges as a different metric.
“There was another exchange of bodies… Ukraine received 1,000 bodies of their soldiers and Russia, I think, about 25 or 30,” he said, suggesting this proportion “speaks volumes about the real number of casualties.”
He dismissed higher Western estimates as “tools of propaganda and the hybrid war.”
Regarding the economic state of the nations involved, Polyanskiy countered French President Emmanuel Macron’s assessment of the war as a failure. “Moscow is booming. The Russian economy is booming,” he stated, arguing instead that European and NATO economies are the ones suffering.
The Ambassador concluded by reiterating that Russian strikes aim to diminish the “military and industrial potential of the Kiev regime,” which he claimed is backed by the “whole NATO military machine.”
He insisted that Ukraine must return to “equal rights for everybody,” including the legal restoration of the Russian language, before a lasting resolution can be reached.
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