Kyiv demanded an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss Russia’s intention to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
(Bloomberg) — Kyiv demanded an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss Russia’s intention to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
“It is another provocative step, which undermines the principles of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the architecture of nuclear disarmament and the international security system as a whole,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry said Sunday in a lengthy response to the plan announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The ministry also appealed to Belarusian society to prevent the “implementation of criminal intentions,” saying the plan hatched by Putin with the support of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, “will further turn this country into a hostage of the Kremlin and will have catastrophic consequences for its future.”
Putin Says Russia to Place Tactical Nuclear Arms in Belarus
The Group of Seven nations and the European Union must warn Belarusian authorities of “far-reaching consequences” if the nation agrees to accept nuclear weapons on its territory, the ministry said.
In particular, the UK, China, US and France, as permanent Security Council members, were urged to take “effective actions to counter the nuclear blackmail.” Russia is also the sixty permanent member of the council.
Putin, in remarks broadcast on Saturday, said that Moscow wasn’t handing control of the weapons to Belarus, and as a result claimed that Russia won’t be in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
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US officials are aware of the reported Russian announcement and will monitor the implications, Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, said on Saturday.
“We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture nor any indications Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon,” Watson said by email. “We remain committed to the collective defense of the NATO alliance.”
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