Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has announced that Russian strategic nuclear weapons, including missile-borne warheads, may be deployed to Belarus, the country’s neighbor and ally. The announcement comes after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that the country plans to deploy tactical, short-range, and small-yield nuclear weapons in Belarus. Lukashenko delivered his annual address amid escalating tensions over the conflict in Ukraine where both he and Putin have alleged that Western powers want to ruin Russia and Belarus.
“We will protect our sovereignty and independence by any means necessary, including through the nuclear arsenal,” Lukashenko said in his address. He also charged that he would have a say in the Russian tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus. Lukashenko’s push for Russian nuclear weapons, however, drew criticism from Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who denounced the move as a betrayal of national interests, putting the lives of Belarusians in serious danger.
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Deploying Russian short-range tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus would put them closer to potential targets in Ukraine and NATO members in Eastern and Central Europe, but it wouldn’t make much sense for the Kremlin to station any of its strategic nuclear-tipped missiles on Belarusian territory. Those missiles have intercontinental range and can reach a target anywhere around the world from their positions in Russia.
Russia’s political and economic support helped Lukashenko survive months of major opposition protests, and he has grown increasingly dependent on the Kremlin. Earlier in the address, Lukashenko called for a ceasefire in Ukraine, but Ukraine’s presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, quickly dismissed the proposal, saying that any ceasefire would allow Russia to stay in the occupied territories.
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Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan all relinquished Soviet nuclear weapons, which were left on their territories after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Under the so-called Budapest Memorandum, Russia, the United States, and Britain agreed to respect the territorial integrity of those countries. Ukraine has repeatedly complained that Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and the 2022 invasion violate that agreement.
Speaking about the possible deployment of Russian strategic nuclear weapons to Belarus in Friday’s speech, Lukashenko said that a week ago he ordered his military to immediately put the former base for Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles in order to make it ready for use. Lukashenko emphasized on the need to protect his country’s sovereignty and independence by any means necessary, including through the nuclear arsenal.
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It remains unclear whether Russia will deploy strategic nuclear weapons to Belarus. However, the move is seen as part of Putin’s efforts to increase his country’s influence against the West in a bid to assert Russia’s power while also becoming more assertive abroad. It could also escalate tensions with the West further, especially at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine where thousands of troops have been massing on both sides.
The situation is being closely monitored by the international community as a deployment of nuclear weapons could have far-reaching implications for global security. It is believed that Russia would not want to provoke a full-blown conflict with the West, but the deployment of nuclear weapons in Eastern Europe could raise tensions significantly.
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