Vladimir Putin’s Nuclear Threats Draw Stern Response from NATO

• NATO criticizes Russia for storing nuclear arms in Belarus
• Ukraine has repeatedly called for an emergency meeting of the UN National Security Council over Moscow's "nuclear blackmail"
• Russian President Vladimir Putin denies wrongdoing, comparing the decision to what the United States is already doing

NATO has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent nuclear warning after the latter announced that Moscow would house tactical nuclear arms in Belarus.

In a statement on Saturday, the Russian strongman said that the deployment of nuclear arms in the region would be similar to action taken by the United States. The American military has been known to store such weapons in bases across Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey, an analogy Western nations have called "misleading."

Russia To Station Nuclear Arms in Belarus

Many experts believe potential Russian strikes could involve small-scale battlefield weapons described as "tactical" instead of "strategic" high-powered, long-range nuclear weapons. The fears come amid concern for nuclear war that has been rising since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

Ukraine has repeatedly said it was looking to have an emergency meeting with the United Nations Security Council to counter Moscow's "nuclear blackmail." On Sunday, the country's foreign ministry said that authorities expect effective actions to counteract Russia's nuclear blackmail from the United Kingdom, China, the United States, and France, as per Aljazeera.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry added that it demanded an extraordinary UN Security Council meeting to address the issue. The global military alliance NATO later criticized Russia's recent actions.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungesu said that Russia's statements regarding the alliance's nuclear sharing were completely misleading from the truth. She said that allies are considered to be acting with full respect for their international commitments during that process.

Furthermore, the spokeswoman condemned Russia's announcement as "dangerous and irresponsible." On the other hand, Lungescu noted that Western allies had not yet seen "any changes in Moscow's nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own."

Violating Nuclear Non-Proliferation Agreements

Moscow's stationing of nuclear arms in Belarus comes as the latter shares a long border with Ukraine and other NATO members Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. Putin also noted that despite the announcement, Russia would not be transferring control of its arms to Minsk, according to BBC.

Furthermore, Putin said that Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who is seen as a firm ally of the Kremlin and supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, had previously raised the issue with him.

On the other hand, Ukrainian authorities argued that the move directly violates nuclear non-proliferation agreements. It is an accusation that Putin has denied by comparing it to the actions of the U.S. military.

Russian officials have already stationed 10 aircraft capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons in the country, Putin said. He added that there have been several Iskander tactical missile systems that are capable of launching nuclear weapons stationed in the region.

The Iskander-M is known to have two guided missiles with a range of up to 300 miles and can carry conventional or nuclear warheads to other destinations, said NBC News.

Tags

Vladimir putin, NATO