What to know about Putin’s false claim that Russia had to prevent the West from arming Ukraine with nukes

Vladimir Putin claimed the US would arm Ukraine with nuclear missiles in a speech before Russia invaded in February 2022, but the evidence doesn’t support his claim. The United States actively worked to denuclearize Ukraine in an agreement with Ukraine and Russia.

• The Budapest Memorandum is one of many treaties Russia violated over the past two decades.

See “To say the US is “obstructing negotiations” deflects from Russia violating at least five prior agreements” for details.

Saying the US obstructed negotiations deflects from Russia violating five prior agreements

Accepting Russia’s illegal conquest is a recipe for much more war