The head of European Union (EU) diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said on Saturday that Russia’s deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus marks “another escalation of the conflict” in Ukraine, which has been invaded by the Russians.
In an interview with the EFE news agency in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on the sidelines of the Ibero-American Summit, Josep Borrell stated that the announcement made today by Russian President Vladimir Putin is also “one more example of the regime’s collaboration dictatorship of Belarus with Russia”.
“It shows that we are right when we take action against the regime in Belarus,” when sanctions are adopted, he added.
Josep Borrell recalled that this Saturday is the International Day of Solidarity with Belarus, which has been commemorated since the “fraudulent elections”, recalling that there are more than 1,500 political prisoners in that country.
“Belarus is a society in the hands of a regime completely captive of its alliance with Moscow, and the deployment of tactical weapons in Belarus only increases that degree of dependence on that regime that the EU has already sanctioned and combats by supporting the forces Belarusians” fighting in front of him, he added.
Given this, he stressed, it is necessary to continue doing “more of the same”: “maintain the sanctions, maintain the pressure, maintain support for the Belarusian opposition, support it economically and politically, everything we can do, but we have to continue doing it “.
Putin today announced an agreement with Belarus to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in that country bordering Ukraine, arguing that this does not violate existing nuclear pacts.
The Russian president mentioned that on July 1, the construction of a special depot to place these weapons on Belarusian territory will be completed.
The UK government acknowledged earlier this week that it intended to supply depleted uranium ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, prompting criticism from the Russians, who even warned of a possible escalation of the conflict in Eastern Europe.
London, however, defended the decision arguing that this type of ammunition has nothing to do with nuclear weapons and assured that it has not been shown to negatively affect people’s lives or the environment, a point that Moscow rejects and even urged the British authorities to test. said ammunition on British territory.
The military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Russia in Ukraine has so far caused the flight of more than 14.6 million people -6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 8.1 million to European countries-, according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
Right now, at least 18 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian aid and 9.3 million are in need of food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the wider international community, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and imposing them on Russia in political and economic sanctions.
The UN presented as confirmed since the beginning of the war, which today entered its day 395, 8,317 dead civilians and 13,892 wounded, stressing that these figures are far below the real ones.
Source: TSF
