- Russia signs deal with Belarus for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the region
- The plan immediately drew criticism from the United States government
- Russian President Vladimir Putin first revealed his desire to deploy nuclear weapons to Belarus in an interview on Mar. 25
Russia moves forward with deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus after signing a deal on Thursday, sparking criticism from the United States government.
Belarus' leader said that the warheads from Moscow were already on the way to the nation, which marks the Kremlin's first deployment of such armaments outside of Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Russia Moves Forward With Nuclear Weapons Deployment
The U.S. State Department denounced the deployment plan. Still, it noted that Washington had no desire to alter its position on strategic nuclear weapons or had seen any signs that Moscow was trying to use a nuclear weapon.
On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the American government and its allies are now fighting a proxy war against Moscow following his orders to invade Ukraine. According to Reuters, the Russian president announced the deal to deploy nuclear weapons during an interview with state television on Mar. 25.
During a meeting, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his Belarusian counterpart in Minsk that the West was waging an undeclared war against their countries. Shoigu added that the West was doing everything possible to "prolong and escalate the armed conflict in Ukraine."
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko added that in accordance with an order that Putin signed, the tactical nuclear weapons were already on their way to his country. However, there was no confirmation regarding that claim from the Kremlin.
In a statement, Lukashenko said that the movement of nuclear weapons has "already begun." His remarks were made during his attendance in Moscow for talks with other leaders of ex-Soviet states.
Shoigu was quoted as saying that the context of an extremely sharp escalation of threats on the western borders of Russia and Belarus was what prompted the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, according to Aljazeera.
Sparking Widespread Criticism
Since Russia started invading Ukraine last year, Putin has repeatedly said that Moscow was prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend the nation's "territorial integrity."
However, at the time, NATO said that it did not see any need to adjust its nuclear posture. This comes despite the military alliance calling Putin's deployment of nuclear weapons "dangerous and irresponsible."
On the other hand, Washington, D.C.-based foreign policy and defense analyst Richard Weitz said that Moscow is unlikely to benefit from its decision. He argued that Russia already has thousands of nuclear weapons, with some already deployed on the ground or onboard airplanes near Belarusian facilities.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the plans were only the latest example of Russia's irresponsible behavior since its invasion of Ukraine. He repeated Washington's warning that using chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons in the armed conflict would result in "severe consequences," said Inquirer.
Related Article: Japan Scrambles Fighter Jets After Spotting Russian Planes
