Belarus confirmed it will host Russian tactical nuclear weapons, citing years of pressure from the West in the form of sanctions and a military buildup by NATO members near its borders as the reason for the decision.
The foreign ministry statement was the first official statement from the government following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement that Moscow would deploy tactical nuclear weapons and construct a nuclear weapons storage facility in Belarus.
The foreign ministry of Belarus released a statement saying, “Over the past two and a half years, the Republic of Belarus has been subjected to unprecedented political, economic, and information pressure from the United States, the United Kingdom, and its NATO allies, as well as the member states of the European Union.”
Russian nuclear plans are not in violation of international non-proliferation agreements, according to Minsk, because nuclear weapons would not be under Belarusian control.
