U.S. official claims Ukraine's abandoned nukes belonged to Russia

Richard Grenell, a special envoy for former President Donald Trump, made a surprising statement about Ukraine's nuclear weapons. He said that the nuclear weapons Ukraine gave up after the Soviet Union collapsed actually belonged to Russia. Grenell shared this information on social media. He pointed out that these weapons, returned to Moscow by Ukraine, were "never Ukrainian" and called this an "uncomfortable fact." His comments refer to the Budapest Memorandum, signed in December 1994. This agreement involved the US, UK, Russia, and Ukraine, and provided security guarantees for Ukraine's commitment to give up nuclear weapons. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the decision to hand over nuclear arms to Russia as "stupid." He argued that this action was wrong for both Ukraine and Europe. Zelenskyy's remarks highlight ongoing tensions surrounding Ukraine's security and its historical choices.