[Mick]

Would Ukraine consider developing its own nuclear weapons?

Ukraine ‘could develop own nuclear weapons’ to stop Vladimir Putin's war 

I very strongly suspect not. They undoubtedly have the technical ability to do so. They lack a credible delivery system and lack the time and industrial capacity to produce one very soon. If they had such a system, they wouldn't need ATACMS :-). Loading a single bomb on a MIG and "trusting to luck" that it can reach Moscow is possible but 1) most probably the MIG would get shot down and 2) if it didn't, Russia would then just obliterate Ukraine with nuclear weapons.

Ukraine would also lose the "moral high ground" that it now enjoys in the rest of the world. As the owners of nuclear weapons quickly discover, they are valuable only for the threat they pose. If you actually use one against another major nuclear power, what will happen to you is so unacceptable you just don't go there. MAD is real. If you use a nuclear weapon in today's world even against a non-nuclear opponent, you for sure become an international pariah and it is far from certain another nuclear armed nation(s) won't (either mistakenly or intentionally) obliterate you because you are a "loose cannon" that simply has to go. Obviously the latter applies only to nations with limited nuclear capabilities.

I don't disagree, but how far away is Ukraine from Assured Destruction in any event, particularly after Russia throws 500k soldiers at them in the upcoming offensive? Russia is destroying Ukraine's infrastructure and power grid. Ukraine is well on its way to Assured Destruction. Russia is kidnapping their people, they haven't conducted themselves as anything other than war criminals. Devil's advocate...why not make the Assured Destruction Mutual?  If Russia is going to fully destroy and take over Ukraine, why not develop ten nukes and send them Russia's way? I'm not advocating this, I just wonder how long it will take for Ukraine to reach that conclusion.

[Mick]

Would Ukraine consider developing its own nuclear weapons?

Ukraine ‘could develop own nuclear weapons’ to stop Vladimir Putin's war 

I very strongly suspect not. They undoubtedly have the technical ability to do so. They lack a credible delivery system and lack the time and industrial capacity to produce one very soon. If they had such a system, they wouldn't need ATACMS :-). Loading a single bomb on a MIG and "trusting to luck" that it can reach Moscow is possible but 1) most probably the MIG would get shot down and 2) if it didn't, Russia would then just obliterate Ukraine with nuclear weapons.

Ukraine would also lose the "moral high ground" that it now enjoys in the rest of the world. As the owners of nuclear weapons quickly discover, they are valuable only for the threat they pose. If you actually use one against another major nuclear power, what will happen to you is so unacceptable you just don't go there. MAD is real. If you use a nuclear weapon in today's world even against a non-nuclear opponent, you for sure become an international pariah and it is far from certain another nuclear armed nation(s) won't (either mistakenly or intentionally) obliterate you because you are a "loose cannon" that simply has to go. Obviously the latter applies only to nations with limited nuclear capabilities.

I don't disagree, but how far away is Ukraine from Assured Destruction in any event, particularly after Russia throws 500k soldiers at them in the upcoming offensive? Russia is destroying Ukraine's infrastructure and power grid. Ukraine is well on its way to Assured Destruction. Russia is kidnapping their people, they haven't conducted themselves as anything other than war criminals. Devil's advocate...why not make the Assured Destruction Mutual?  If Russia is going to fully destroy and take over Ukraine, why not develop ten nukes and send them Russia's way? I'm not advocating this, I just wonder how long it will take for Ukraine to reach that conclusion.