Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday that Russia, which has already decided to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in his country, can place intercontinental nuclear missiles in its neighboring and allied country if necessary.

Edited by |Alexander Yanixina 

Politics section 

1 April 2023 - Belarus

     In an annual address to lawmakers and government officials, Lukashenko said Moscow's plans to deploy nuclear weapons on the territory of its close ally would help protect his country, which he said was threatened by the West.

Lukashenko added,

"I am not trying to intimidate or blackmail anyone. I want to protect the state of Belarus and ensure peace for its people."

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that the tactical missiles would remain under Moscow's control, Lukashenko said he could use them with Russia's approval if his country was destroyed.
Lukashenko has raised the prospect of deploying strategic nuclear weapons, intercontinental ballistic missiles that can destroy entire cities from thousands of miles away, on his country's soil.

Lukashenko said he had enough conventional weapons to face the threats, "but if we see that behind (threats) is the destruction of our country, then we will use everything we have."

"If necessary, Putin and I will decide and, if necessary, deploy strategic weapons," he added.

"They are preparing to invade."

"Trust me, I never deceived you. They are preparing to invade Belarus ... to destroy our country," Lukashenko said.

Russia's decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, amid rising tensions with the West over its military operations in Ukraine, is the first deployment of nuclear weapons outside the country's borders since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The UN Security Council met on Friday, at the request of the United States and Albania, to discuss Putin's plans.

Robert Wood, the US deputy ambassador to the United Nations, accused Putin of "escalating Russia's dangerous and destabilizing behavior" by threatening to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Vasily Nebenzia, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, told the council that Putin "was clear about the fact that we are not transferring nuclear weapons, we are talking about sending groups of tactical missiles to Belarus."

China, Moscow's strategic partner, did not specifically mention Putin's plans. Geng Shuang, China's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, told the council that Beijing calls for "all nuclear weapons non-deployment abroad and the withdrawal of nuclear weapons deployed abroad."

Belarus said this week the weapons provided protection from what it described as a pressure campaign by the United States and its allies aimed at ousting Lukashenko, who has been in power for nearly three decades.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said he found the expected deployment "disturbing".

In a speech on Friday, Lukashenko called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of talks on a permanent peace settlement, warning that Russia might be forced to use "the most dangerous weapons" once it sensed any threat.

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