Russia announced that it was moving ahead with the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus, while the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) considered the move a dangerous escalation, and said it was monitoring the situation. The Kremlin stressed in its statements that Moscow will not change its plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, despite Western criticism.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the reaction of Western countries would not affect plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Today (Monday), Peskov said that the Western reaction, of course, could not affect Russia's plans, according to the "Tass" agency.
He pointed out that the Russian president clarified the details of Moscow and Minsk's plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, in his statements he made two days ago, adding that "there is nothing to add in this regard."
Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, and accused NATO of expanding in East Asia.
Putin had stated that his country had equipped 10 Belarusian warplanes to be able to carry tactical nuclear weapons, adding that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had requested the deployment of weapons in his country.
For his part, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, considered that NATO countries are a party to the conflict in Ukraine, according to excerpts from an interview he gave to the Russian government newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Today, the newspaper quoted him as saying, “In fact, NATO countries are parties to the conflict. They have made Ukraine a big camp; They send weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian forces and provide them with intelligence information.”
For his part, a NATO spokesman described Russia's rhetoric on nuclear weapons as dangerous and irresponsible, adding that the alliance is vigilant and monitoring the situation. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell saw that Belarus hosting Russian nuclear weapons is a threat to European security, hinting at imposing more sanctions on Moscow.
"Belarus hosting Russian nuclear weapons would mean an irresponsible escalation and a threat to European security," he wrote on Twitter. Belarus can still stop it, that's its choice. The European Union is ready to respond with further sanctions.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called for an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council to discuss recent Russian statements regarding the intention to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. The Foreign Ministry described the Russian move as provocative. It called on the Group of Seven and the European Union to warn the Belarusian authorities of the far-reaching consequences if they agreed to accept Russian tactical nuclear weapons on their soil.
While the Pentagon renewed its commitment to collective defense within the framework of NATO, the White House said that there were no indications in Washington that Russia transferred nuclear weapons to Belarus.
On the field level, the commander of the Ukrainian army said that his forces continue to repel the intense Russian attacks on Bakhmut, and defending the city is a military necessity.
Okaz (Moscow, Brussels, Capitals) @okaz_online