This is reported by RBK-Ukraine referencing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). This information comes from Kontrakty.UA.
In response to questions from BRICS member countries about security guarantees for Ukraine, Putin stated that Russia would respond with a "proportional reaction" if Ukraine takes steps towards developing nuclear weapons, which the dictator labeled as a "dangerous provocation."
Analysts from the institute note that Putin frequently brandishes the nuclear saber to push the West towards self-restraint, especially during critical moments in political discussions within the West regarding support for Ukraine.
"ISW continues to assess that Russia's nuclear saber-rattling does not indicate a readiness to use nuclear weapons, and that it is unlikely Russia will employ nuclear weapons in Ukraine or elsewhere," the ISW report states.
The Institute cites the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, under which Russia committed to "respect" and "refrain from the threat or use of force" against Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, with no exceptions made for Crimea or Donbas, in exchange for Ukraine's commitment to transfer Soviet nuclear weapons located on its territory to Russia.
Ukraine and Nuclear Weapons
Recently, the German publication Bild, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official, reported that Ukraine allegedly plans to develop nuclear weapons in the event of a renewed Russian invasion, should Ukraine not be a NATO member by then.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the creation of nuclear weapons is not under discussion.
Ukraine officially denied claims regarding supposed plans for nuclear weapon development. The country has been and remains a committed participant in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.