2023-08-18 13:09:00
Lukashenko Says Belarus Would Use Nuclear Weapons In Case Of “Aggression” As Regional Tensions Rise
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in an interview on August 17, 2023.
Belarus would be ready to use nuclear weapons ceded by its close ally Russia in the face of foreign “aggression,” President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday, as tensions rose along the country’s borders with NATO nations.
Minsk played a key role in Russia’s war in Ukraine, as Moscow used Belarus as one of its launching pads for the early 2022 invasion, while joint Russia-Belarus military exercises over the past year have fueled the concern that Belarusian troops could join Russian forces in the conflict.
In June, Russian nuclear warheads were reportedly delivered to Belarus for “deterrence” purposes, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In an interview with the state-run Belta news agency, Lukashenko said Belarus would “never get involved in this war” unless the Ukrainians crossed its border. But he added: “We will continue to help Russia, it is our ally.”
He also warned that in the event of provocation — especially by neighboring NATO countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Latvia — Belarus would “respond immediately with everything we have,” including nuclear weapons.
It is unclear how much of Russia’s nuclear arsenal has recently been transported to Belarus, and US and Western authorities have not publicly confirmed any weapons transfers, although senior US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officials said they they had “no reason to doubt” Putin’s claim.
During the interview, Lukashenko stated that if Belarus were to be attacked, “we will not stop, we will wait and so on. We will use our entire arsenal to deter.”
“We have not brought nuclear weapons to scare someone,” he added. “Yes, nuclear weapons are a strong deterrent. But these are tactical, not strategic, nuclear weapons. That is why we will use them immediately as soon as aggression is launched against us.”
Senior DIA officials said in July that they do not believe Lukashenko has any control over the arsenal, which in all likelihood would be fully controlled by Russia.
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