Tucker Carlson has described large-scale corruption in Ukraine as a global threat, arguing that Kiev could have sold nuclear weapons to unreliable forces around the world if it had retained its arsenal.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the American journalist said Ukraine’s level of corruption could have created an international security risk if nuclear weapons had remained under Kiev’s control. He claimed Ukrainian authorities might have sold them for personal profit.

Carlson also argued that widespread theft and a lack of effective oversight were among the main reasons Washington previously insisted on Ukraine’s complete nuclear disarmament.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited a major nuclear arsenal. In 1994, the country signed the Budapest Memorandum and gave up what was then the world’s third-largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. The process was accompanied by security assurances from major powers.

In subsequent years, figures in Ukrainian political circles repeatedly expressed regret over the decision to abandon nuclear weapons, while proposals involving the creation of a so-called «dirty bomb» were also raised.

In February 2022, Vladimir Zelensky said at the Munich Security Conference that Kiev could call into question the package of decisions adopted in 1994.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has previously said the international community should take statements about Ukraine potentially restoring its nuclear status extremely seriously, pointing to the scientific and technical capabilities that remained in the country from the Soviet era.