Russian leader Vladimir Putin has announced an agreement with Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in his country. In Ukraine, there are mixed indications about places visited by President Volodymyr Zelensky a few days ago. In Kherson, the southern city government appealed to the population to leave, while the commander of the armed forces said Bakhmut was being “stabilised”.
While announcing the initiative to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Putin said it was “nothing unusual”, citing as an example the practice of the United States, which has been “doing this for decades”, that is say the deployment “their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies”.
“We woke up [com a Bielorrússia] that we will do the same, without violating our international obligations regarding the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,” he continued in a televised address.
Construction of a facility to store the weapons in Belarus will be completed on July 1, Putin said, making it clear that control of these weapons would not be transferred to Minsk. So far, Russia has equipped 10 Belarusian aircraft capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons and has transferred an Iskander missile system that can be used to launch such weapons.
“There is nothing unusual here. The United States has been doing this for decades. It has long placed its tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its allies.” Vladimir Putin
Once completed, it will be the first time since the mid-1990s that Russia has nuclear weapons bases outside the country. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, nuclear weapons deployed in Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan were transferred to Russia, a process agreed in 1992 and completed in 1996, including the Budapest Memorandum, in which Russia, the U.S. and the United Kingdom did not pledge to threaten or attack those three countries.
The Kremlin strongman took the opportunity to speak again about the supply of armor-piercing munitions, containing depleted uranium, by the United Kingdom to Ukraine. “Russia clearly has what it needs to respond. No exaggeration, we have hundreds of thousands of such missiles. We have not used them yet,” he said.
He himself had initially responded by saying that his country would be obliged to “respond” if the transfer of such munitions were confirmed, as he said they have a “nuclear component”.
In contrast, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed concern about the effects of said ammunition on Ukrainian soldiers and the agricultural capacity of the invaded country, claiming that the effects would be felt for “decades or centuries” and “Ukraine’s ability to action would be drastically reduced”. production of high quality food”.
The British Ministry of Defense confirmed that such ammunition will be sent for use in the 14 Challenger tanks, calling Putin and Lavrov’s “ridiculous” comments “classic disinformation”. and the environment is “low”.
But last year a United Nations Environment Program report warned of the dangers of using such munitions in Ukraine.
The president of Ukraine, who traveled to the north, east and south of the country during the week, saw different fortunes for the areas visited. In Kherson, the region’s still-occupied city on the left bank of the Dnieper, local authorities advised residents to leave due to continued Russian attacks and the inability to maintain a stable supply of water and electricity. “The best option to protect yourself and your loved ones is to leave for safer places,” the city council said.
As for Bakhmut, the target of a Russian offensive since August, Armed Forces Commander Valeri Zaluzhnyi said the situation is being stabilized. Added to this statement is the most recent assessment by British military intelligence, according to which the Russian attack has “largely ground to a halt”.
But Zelensky, in an interview with a Japanese newspaper, complained about the lack of equipment and ammunition. “There is no way to launch a counter-offensive now.”
Source: DN
