Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that he would not hesitate to order the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to be deployed in Belarus if his country faces aggression.
Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the planned deployment of short-range nuclear weapons in Moscow’s neighbor and ally Belarus, in a move widely seen as a warning to the West while stepping up military support for Ukraine. .
Putin has stressed that Russia will retain control over them, but Lukashenko’s statement contradicted him.
«God forbid I have to make the decision to use those weapons today, but there would be no question if we were faced with aggression,» Lukashenko, known for his stormy remarks, was quoted as saying by the state news agency BelTA.
Russian officials had no immediate comment on Lukashenko’s comments.
Lukashenko emphasized that it was he who asked Putin to deploy Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus. He argued that the measure was necessary to deter possible aggression.
“I think that no one would be willing to fight against a country that has such weapons,” Lukashenko said. «Those are weapons of deterrence.»
Putin said during Friday’s meeting with Lukashenko that work on the construction of nuclear weapons facilities will be completed on July 7 and 8 and will move to Belarusian territory soon after.
Tactical nuclear weapons are intended to destroy enemy troops and weapons on the battlefield. They have a relatively short range and a much lower yield than nuclear warheads mounted on ICBMs that are capable of destroying entire cities.
Lukashenko said that Belarus does not need Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons to be deployed on its territory. “Am I going to fight the United States? No,” he said.
However, the Belarusian leader added that Belarus was also preparing facilities for intercontinental missiles with nuclear warheads, just in case.
Along with Ukraine and Kazakhstan, Belarus was home to a significant part of the Soviet nuclear arsenals when they were all part of the Soviet Union. Those weapons were withdrawn to Russia after the 1991 Soviet collapse under a US-sponsored deal.
Russia did not say how many of its tactical nuclear weapons would be sent to Belarus. The US government believes that Russia has around 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons, including bombs that can be carried by aircraft, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery shells.
Russia used the territory of Belarus to send its troops to Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and has maintained forces and weapons on the territory of its ally.
Lukashenko, who has been in power for 29 years, has relied on Russian political and economic support to survive months of protests, mass arrests and Western sanctions following a 2020 election that kept him in power but ultimately country and abroad were considered rigged. .