Vladimir Putin stressed the need to guarantee the security of all members of the CSTO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a kind of “mini-NATO” under Russian influence, made up of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia and Belarus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin received his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, in Saint Petersburg this weekend, with whom he agreed to deliver Iskander-M short-range missiles capable of launching nuclear warheads.
“In the coming months, we will deliver to Belarus the Iskander-M tactical systems, which can use ballistic and cruise missiles, both in the usual configuration and in a nuclear configuration.“, Putin said, according to Russian media.
Russia will deliver “in the coming months” to the #Belarus missiles capable of carrying nuclear charges, Vladimir Putin announced while receiving Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, in the midst of tensions between their countries and the West around the#Ukraine #AFP pic.twitter.com/pXk3FogElM
– Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) June 25, 2022
Putin argued that the United States has deployed nearly 200 tactical nuclear warheads in the six European NATO member countries and that some 257 aircraft are prepared for potential use of these weapons.
“Europe will be reduced to ashes in a nuclear war with Russia.“, warned Putin, who however argued that he was “not necessary“for the time being to give a systematic response to NATO air maneuvers by nuclear-armed aircraft near the Belarusian borders, as President Lukashenko would have requested.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the states, noting the good results on the path of integration cooperation:https://t.co/GiFOGuHYci pic.twitter.com/EVyHDA2jez
– TASS (@tassagency_en) June 25, 2022
Iskander-M missiles have a range of up to 500 kilometers and the ability to carry nuclear warheads.