Nuclear weapons for Belarus: Ukraine sees Putin driven by fear
Ukraine sees Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin with his announced stationing of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus driven by fear of a possible defeat in the war. “Putin is so predictable,” wrote the adviser to the presidential office in Kyiv, Mykhailo Podoliak. With the announcement, the Kremlin chief admitted that he was afraid of losing the war against Ukraine. He also confirmed once again that he was involved in crimes for violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The Russian President said on Saturday that Russia would not hand over control of the weapons to Belarus, but would only keep the missiles in the country. Moscow is acting no differently than Washington, which has also stationed US nuclear weapons with its allies in Europe. Russia adheres to international agreements, Putin stressed.
After voluntarily surrendering its nuclear weapons after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus is now receiving nuclear missiles for the first time since the 1990s. In Belarus, ruler Alexander Lukashenko, who is politically and economically dependent on Putin, asked Russia to do so even before the war. He also had the constitution changed, which no longer stipulates a nuclear-weapon-free status. According to Putin, training on weapons in Belarus should begin in April, and the depots for the nuclear missiles should be completed on July 1.