Ukraine called for a strong international response to Russia’s announcement that it would deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus. In a statement on Sunday, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council.
Ukraine expects “effective measures” from Britain, China, the United States and France to end Russia’s “nuclear blackmail”, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said. In the statement, Kiev appealed to the four states that, alongside Russia, have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Belarus “nuclear hostage” of Moscow
“The Kremlin has taken Belarus as a nuclear hostage,” tweeted the Secretary of the Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, today. This decision was a “step towards the internal destabilization of the country”.
According to Danilov, the announcement “increased the level of negative perception and public rejection of Russia and Putin in Belarusian society”.
Tichanovskaya: “Breaking the Constitution”
Russia’s deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus directly violates the Belarusian constitution, exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya tweeted. “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 wrote.
“We also call on the world to demand the immediate withdrawal of Russian armed forces from Belarus and stop Belarus’ involvement in Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Tikhanovskaya said.
The day before, Putin had announced that he had agreed to the deployment of nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory with Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko. Belarus, which has been governed by Lukashenko since 1994, not only borders Ukraine, but also EU member states Poland and Lithuania.
See more info…
Poland sharply criticized Putin’s announcement. “We condemn this increased threat to peace in Europe and the world,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw, according to the PAP agency.
NATO sees no need for action
After the announced transfer of Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus, NATO sees no need for action regarding its own nuclear weapons. One is vigilant and is monitoring the situation closely, a spokeswoman said.