Russia-Belarus Union State Supreme Council meeting on April 6
2 Min Read
The presidents of both Russia and Belarus are expected to attend the meeting.
-
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko talk during their meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. (AP)
The Supreme Council of the Union States of Russia and Belarus, with the participation of two presidents, Vladimir Putin, and Alexander Lukashenko, will take place on April 6, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin reported on Monday.
"I am convinced that the decisions and agreements adopted today will serve to further strengthen the agreements within the Union State, and will become a good basis for preparing the forthcoming meeting of the State Supreme Council, scheduled for April 6, with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko," Mishustin announced at a meeting of Council of Ministers of the Union State.
Earlier, the European Union threatened on Sunday that hosting Russian nuclear arms would subject Belarus to sanctions and described such a move as an "escalation".
"Belarus hosting Russian nuclear weapons would mean an irresponsible escalation and threat to European security. Belarus can still stop it, it is their choice. The EU stands ready to respond with further sanctions," EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday that Moscow has struck a deal with Belarus to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory, pledging that his country will not violate non-proliferation agreements.
Putin also revealed that his country has already deployed 10 nuclear-capable aircraft in its neighbor country and that by July 1, Russia will complete the construction of a facility in Belarus to store the tactical nuclear arms, stressing that the control of the weapons will not be transferred to Minsk.
Russia's leader emphasized that this measure will be similar to the United States' deployment of some of its nuclear arsenal in Europe which has been going on for decades.
"They [US nukes] are [presented] in six countries, if my memory serves, Germany, Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Greece. Greece does not have it right now, but it has a storage facility," Putin said.
