Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, on Thursday, said that the country would be willing to use nuclear weapons in the face of foreign “aggression.” Lukashenko said, as tensions rise around the country’s borders with NATO nations, Belarus would employ the weapons supplied to them by close ally Russia, CNN reported.
He also said that Belarus wouldn't engage in the war unless Ukrainians crossed its border adding that Putin wasn't pushing Belarus into joining the war in Ukraine. At the beginning of the war, Russia used Belarus as one of its launch pads for the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had said that Russia had delivered nuclear warheads to Belarus in June for “deterrence.” “We will keep helping Russia, they are our ally,” he told in an interview with state news agency Belta. US and Western officials haven't publicly confirmed if any weapons have been transferred. Nor is it clear as to how much arsenal has been transported.
“We didn’t bring nuclear weapons here in order to scare someone,” Lukashenko said. “Yes, nuclear weapons represent a strong deterring factor. But these are tactical nuclear weapons, not strategic ones. This is why we will use them immediately once aggression is launched against us,” he added.
He also said that Kyiv and Moscow should address all issues including the future of Crimea and other Russia-claimed territories in Ukraine.
The president also said that were direct contacts between Kyiv and Minsk, where, topics discussed included potential Belarus involvement in the war on Russia’s side, potential use of nuclear weapons and Wagner Group mercenaries, now stationed in Belarus. But, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had put a halt to it.
In recent weeks, there have been reports of Wagner troops moving toward the border between Poland and Lithuania; Poland recently announced it would move around 10,000 Wagner troops to its border with Belarus, CNN reported.
