06/16/2023 22:22 (act. 06/16/2023 22:30)
Putin and Lukashenko: First Russian nukes are in Belarus ©APA/SPUTNIK
According to President Vladimir Putin, Russia sent the first nuclear warheads to Belarus. “The first nuclear warheads have been sent to the territory of Belarus,” Putin said on Friday at the economic forum in St. Petersburg, thus specifying the deployment of nuclear weapons in the neighboring country announced by Moscow in March.
“These are just the first, by the end of the summer, by the end of the year, we will have completed the process,” Putin said.
At the same time, Putin said that he still sees no reason to use nuclear weapons. This is theoretically possible if Russian territory is under threat, he told the economic forum in St. Petersburg. Nuclear weapons would only be used if the existence of the Russian state was threatened.
Tactical nuclear weapons, which is the purpose of deployment, can cause devastating damage if deployed. However, they have a shorter range than so-called long-range strategic weapons.
Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko allowed Russia to use his country as a starting point for the offensive against Ukraine. Putin’s announcement that tactical nuclear weapons would be stationed in Belarus stoked fears of a nuclear escalation in the Ukrainian conflict.
The Russian president had said that nuclear weapons should deter those who believed they could inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. The Belarusian armed forces began training on Russian nuclear-capable missile systems in April.
Putin caused an uproar with statements about nuclear weapons control. “We have more of these weapons than NATO countries,” Putin said during his appearance in Russia’s Baltic Sea metropolis on Friday. “They know this and are constantly urging us to start talks about reductions,” the Kremlin chief continued – and added: “Fuck it, you know what we say among the people.”
A little later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov had to explain Putin’s statements to journalists – and put them in perspective. “Russia is ready to lead the negotiations,” he assured.
At the beginning of the year, under the impression of its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia declared the last major agreement on nuclear arms control suspended: the “New Start” treaty with the USA. This limits both countries’ nuclear arsenals and regulates inspections. Then, in early June, the US government offered Russia and China nuclear arms control talks “without preconditions.” Instead of waiting until all bilateral differences are resolved, Washington said it was ready to start negotiations so that no new conflicts arise.