According to the statement made by Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, Kyiv has accused Russia of holding Minsk as a “nuclear hostage” after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, which is a close ally of Russia. Mr. Danilov went on to say that the move is a step towards destabilizing the country internally. The statement comes after Putin announced on Saturday that he and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had agreed to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Lukashenko has been in power in Belarus for almost 30 years and is a key ally of Putin.
It appears that there are fears that Belarus may join Russia’s offensive against Ukraine, particularly after Minsk allowed the Kremlin to launch its invasion of Ukraine from its territory in February 2022. However, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has stated that he would only join the offensive if his country is attacked. Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, has commented on Putin’s announcement of the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, stating that it would increase negative perceptions and public rejection of Russia and Putin in Belarusian society.
According to reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday that he plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which is a close ally of Russia. Putin’s announcement has raised concerns about the possibility of a nuclear conflict, especially since he has made thinly veiled threats of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. These threats have revived Cold War-era fears of nuclear war. Furthermore, Putin also mentioned the possibility of using depleted uranium ammunition if Ukraine were to receive such munitions from the West. This statement comes after a suggestion from Britain that it could supply Ukraine with such ammunition.
