Opinions & Interviews

Deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus seen as response to aggressive policy by unfriendly states

Viktor Khrenin

MINSK, 25 May (BelTA) - The deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons is an effective response to the aggressive policy by the unfriendly countries, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said during a bilateral meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Minsk on 25 may, BelTA has learned.

"With an aim of ensuring military security, including the protection of the western borders of the Union State and Belarus, we pay close attention to the readiness and ability of the Armed Forces to perform their intended tasks," Viktor Khrenin said.

The defense minister noted that Belarus and Russia have taken measures to increase the combat potential of the regional group of troops. In particular, the matter is about the deployment of new modern weapons such as the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system and the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system. Viktor Khrenin also mentioned the re-equipment of Su-25 aircraft to carry nuclear weapons. The Belarusian military have undergone training at Russian training grounds and gained practical skills in their operation.

"In the context of non-fulfillment of the security guarantees given to Belarus in the Budapest Memorandum of 5 December 1994, in view of the incessant bellicose rhetoric and practical actions against our countries by the collective West, on the instruction of the heads of our states, we have organized the work to deploy non-strategic nuclear weapons of Russia on the territory of Belarus," Viktor Khrenin stressed. According to the minister, this will be an effective response to the aggressive policy by the countries unfriendly to Belarus and Russia and can serve as a deterrent against the further escalation of the situation in the region.

"The measures, both implemented and also planned, once again emphasize the strategic nature of the cooperation between our ministries. Belarus is resolutely committed to strengthening and developing close cooperation in the interests of ensuring the security of the Union State," Viktor Khrenin concluded.

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