Belarus, Russia set to sign security deal that will include clause on nuclear weapons
- 28 September, 10:52
Belarus and its closest ally Russia will sign a new security treaty in December with a clause on nuclear weapons, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov said on RTVI television.
The security guarantee treaty will be signed on the 25th anniversary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus.
"The draft of the treaty has been almost finalized by now. We have held a number of consultations with the Russian Foreign Ministry, of course, taking into account the opinion of all interested military agencies, as well as agencies that are responsible for security issues," Ryzhenkov said.
The announcement comes after Vladimir Putin’s statement on September 25 that Russia would consider deploying nuclear weapons in case of “critical threat” to the sovereignty of Russia and Belarus, stressing that Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko was also aware of this. Putin’s statement was followed by Lukashenko’s remarks that his country would use nuclear weapons in case of a NATO attack on Belarus. It should be noted that Belarus hosts some of 6,000 nuclear warheads that Russia possesses.
Reminding that Belarus had nuclear weapons, Minister Ryzhenkov said: "All our neighbors know about it, as they are building up their military muscle on the border of Belarus, but not making the next step because nuclear weapons are an irritant that can hold off any big blow.”
