How The World Responds To Putin's Threat Of Nuclear Weapons In Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday that the Kremlin plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, drawing allegations of “nuclear blackmail” from Ukraine and condemnation from the United States and NATO.

Putin said the move would counter US deployments of nuclear weapons in various European countries and would bring nuclear weapons across NATO-member Poland’s border.

“We’re doing what they’ve been doing for decades, stationing them in certain allied countries, preparing the launch pads and training their crews,” Putin said in a state media interview on Saturday. “We will do the same.”

Tactical nuclear weapons are made for use on the battlefield and are not designed for long-range strikes.

Putin has repeatedly raised the specter of nuclear weapons during his war against Ukraine, but his comments over the weekend quickly sparked global concern.

He said Saturday Russia will complete construction of a storage facility for the weapons by July 1 and already has 10 aircraft capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus, according to Al Jazeera.

Nato

In a statement on SundayNATO called Putin’s comments “dangerous and irresponsible”.

“NATO is vigilant and closely monitoring the situation. We have seen no changes in Russia’s nuclear stance that would cause us to adjust our own,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in a statement. “We are committed to protecting and defending all NATO allies.”

Lungescu also said in the statement that Russia’s reference to NATO’s nuclear sharing was “entirely misleading,” arguing that NATO members have fulfilled international obligations while Russia recently suspended its involvement in a nuclear deal with the US

“Russia must return to compliance and act in good faith,” she said.

United States

The US said it was “monitoring the fallout” of Putin’s threat, but noted that it had seen no sign that Russia’s nuclear weapons were on the move.

“We have seen no reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear stance, nor any indication that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

During an appearance on CBS’s “Face The Nation,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said there was “no evidence” that Russia was moving nuclear weapons to Belarus.

“In fact, we have not seen any indication that he intends to use nuclear weapons inside Ukraine,” he added.

Ukraine

Ukraine requested an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council after Russia announced its plans to station nuclear weapons in Belarus, and called on the US and other Western powers to counter Russia’s “nuclear blackmail”.

“Ukraine expects effective action against the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail from Britain, China, the United States and France, particularly as permanent members of the UN Security Council,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “We call for an immediate extraordinary session of the UN Security Council to be convened for this purpose.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine also appealed to Belarus “to prevent the fulfillment of criminal purposes related to the use of nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus … which will further turn this country into a Kremlin hostage.”

Belarus

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the opposition to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said Russia’s deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in her country would violate its constitution and “grossly contradict the will of the Belarusian people”.

Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has supported Russia’s war by allowing Russian troops to conduct attacks along its border with Ukraine. However, Lukashenko has not committed troops to Russia’s war. He did not comment publicly on Putin’s comments until Sunday evening.

Tsikhanouskaya said Russia’s transfer of nuclear weapons to Belarus risks “further subjecting Belarus to its illegal control and further depriving it of its sovereignty.”

“Russia is acting as an occupying power, violating national security and putting Belarus on a collision course with its neighbors and the international community,” she added.

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Tsikhanouskaya also urged the international community to demand that Russia end its nuclear threats and withdraw troops from the country.

In his comments on Saturday, Putin claimed a deal to station nuclear weapons in Belarus would not violate international non-proliferation agreements, as Moscow would continue to control the weapons.