Belarus President: "I Requested Deployment of Russian Nuclear Weapons... Will Use Without Hesitation If Necessary"

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said on the 13th (local time) that deploying Russian tactical nuclear weapons in his country would serve as a deterrent against "potential aggressors."

According to major foreign news reports, President Lukashenko stated this to the Belarusian news agency BelTA on the same day, adding, "If necessary, we will not hesitate to use them."

He said, "The deployment of nuclear weapons is at my request, not because Russia demanded it," and added, "I told Putin that there is an 'urgent need' to receive nuclear weapons again, and that would be sufficient."

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko hold talks at the Bocharov Ruchey residence in Sochi, Russia, on the 9th (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Belarus has claimed that the war between Ukraine and Russia could threaten its own national security.

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, President Lukashenko has denied Belarus's involvement but has repeatedly said, "If Ukrainian forces enter Belarusian territory and cause my people to die, then we will fight."

Earlier, on the 9th, President Lukashenko visited Russia and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which they specifically discussed plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons. President Putin stated at the time, "If the related facilities are ready by the 7th or 8th of next month (in Belarus), deployment activities will begin immediately."

The two countries announced their agreement to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in March. This marks the first time in 27 years since 1996, when Russia completed the transfer of overseas nuclear weapons back to its territory following the dissolution of the former Soviet Union in 1991, that Russian nuclear weapons have been deployed abroad.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.