Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, stated that if any other country wished to join a Russia-Belarus union, nuclear weapons could be made available to all.
Concerns in the West have been raised by Russia’s plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus last week. This would be the first time the Kremlin has deployed such warheads outside of Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Lukashenko said that Minsk and Moscow have a one-time opportunity to unite, and that this must be recognized from a strategic perspective in an interview broadcast late on Sunday on Russia’s state television.
Lukashenko stated, “No one is opposed to Kazakhstan and other nations having the same close ties with the Russian Federation as we do.” “If someone is concerned, the solution is straightforward: join the Union State of Belarus and Russia. There will be nuclear weapons available for everyone.”
Since Russia’s invasion of their neighboring Ukraine in February of last year, military cooperation between Russia and Belarus has intensified, with both countries holding joint training exercises on Belarusian territory.
