Nuclear weapons in case of aggression! This was the response of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, in a television interview, when he was asked about the growing tensions around his country’s borders with those of NATO.
Minsk has played a key role in Russia’s war in Ukraine, with Moscow using Belarus as one of its launching points for an invasion as early as 2022.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in June Russian nuclear missiles were handed over to Belarus, and Lukashenko now believes that Belarus would be willing to use them in the face of foreign “aggression”.
In an interview with state news agency Belta, Lukashenko claimed that “Belarus will never get involved in this war” if the Ukrainians do not cross their border.
But he made clear once again his support for Putin’s invasion.
“We will continue to help Russia, they are our ally.”
“We will respond immediately with everything we have”, was his warning about a possible provocation, especially from neighboring NATO countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
“We will not delay, we will wait for others. We will use our entire arsenal of weapons for deterrence. We didn’t bring nuclear weapons here to scare anyone. Nuclear weapons represent a strong deterrent, but these are tactical, not strategic, nuclear weapons. That is why we will use them as soon as the aggression against us starts.”
Alexander Lukashenko
Meanwhile, the West does not believe that Lukashenko has any control over the nuclear arsenal, which is most likely controlled entirely by Russia, albeit on Belarusian territory.
Lukashenko also spoke about the war in Ukraine, warning that Moscow will never withdraw from the Crimean territory it annexed more than seven years ago.
“It will never bring Crimea back. It won’t happen. For now I doubt that any agreement can be reached here in the east. But Russia is ready to discuss any topic. I know for sure,” Lukashenko said when asked if Putin is ready to enter peace negotiations.
According to him, Kiev “pushed by the Americans” will not negotiate at the moment. Lukashenko also said that any peace talks on Ukraine must include Belarus.
“We have our interests there and our position should be heard,” he added.
