Putin revealed plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in the Moscow-aligned country over the weekend. By drawing condemnation from the West. Belarus said on Tuesday that it was compelled to host Russian nuclear arms due to “unprecedented” Western pressure. Belarus have also conducted joint military exercises.
Meanwhile that their deployment did not break international treaties. “Belarus is compelled to respond in order to strengthen its own security and defence capability,” the Minsk foreign ministry said.
It claimed that the US and its allies had put Minsk under “unprecedented” political and economic duress.
Belarus stated that it would not have authority over the Russian arms. And that their deployment “in no way contradicts” the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Last year, Minsk permitted Russia to use its territory as a launchpad for its offensive against Ukraine.
Since then, the two countries have conducted military exercises on Belarusian soil and increased military cooperation.
“Military cooperation between Belarus and Russia is strictly governed by international law,” the foreign ministry stated.
Putin’s plans to station nuclear weapons on the doorstep of the European Union have prompted demands for new sanctions against Moscow.
Experts think that any Russian strike would likely use “tactical” small-sized battlefield weapons rather than “strategic” high-powered long-range nuclear weapons. As fears of a nuclear war have grown since Putin sent troops into Ukraine.
Belarus has been governed by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994. The West has sanctioned Minsk multiple times for its crackdown on political dissent and its role as a launchpad for Moscow’s onslaught on Ukraine.