Russian nuclear weapons to be placed on western borders of Belarus
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Russian ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov announced today that the tactical Russian nuclear weapons will be stationed at the western borders of Belarus.
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Russian military police stand guard at the Asipovichy military training ground September 18, 2017 (BRENDAN HOFFMAN/GETTY IMAGES)
Russian ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov announced today that the tactical Russian nuclear weapons will be stationed at the western borders of Belarus.
"They [nuclear weapons] will be moved to the western borders of our Union State and will increase the possibilities for ensuring our security. This will be done despite the clamor in Europe and the United States," Gryzlov told the CTV.
Read more: Russia's deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus is 'dangerous': NATO
He restated that the nuclear storage sites for the tactical nuclear weapons are expected to be finalized by July 1, as revealed earlier by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Last week, Belarus announced that its decision to host tactical nuclear weapons comes after years of Western pressure: political, financial, and informational as well as NATO military build-up.
The Belarus foreign ministry also countered western critiques of this initiative by pointing out that the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons has been common practice in NATO countries, with estimates suggesting that the US has deployed approximately 150 tactical bombs in strategic positions across Europe.
Read more: Russia will deploy some of its tactical nuke arsenal in Belarus: Putin
Russia and Belarus have both contended that this initiative does not violate the Non-Proliferation Treaty of nuclear weapons; such that no new nuclear warheads or weapons are being manufactured rather Russia is simply relocating to station them in Belarus with the consent of the Belarusian government.
Read more: Lukashenko says external challenges prove 'strength' of Union State
Earlier today, the Belarusian President and the Russian President congratulated each other on the Day of Unity and stressed the importance of their friendship vis-a-vis the development of their countries.
President Lukashenko pointed out that the standards of the Russian and Belarusian citizens will be improved upon the full implementation of agreements between the Union State.
Read more: No commitments breached in placing nuclear weapons in Belarus: Russia
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia affirmed on Friday that Russia is not violating its non-proliferation commitments by deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
On March 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be placed in Belarus, with the storage sites for weapons expected to be finished by July 1.
Those weapons will not be operated by Belarus, Nebenzia noted, adding that they will remain under Russia's control.
The Russian diplomat reminded the Council that the US has deployed several nuclear weapons throughout Europe.
