Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko says he might use nukes within the occasion of “aggression” from close by NATO members like Poland, Latvia and Lithuania.
The nations have rushed 1000’s of troops to their shared border amid pressure with Belarus, which has performed a pivotal position in Russia’s struggle in Ukraine.
The Kremlin used Belarus as one among its staging areas for the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This previous June, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that Moscow provided Minsk with tactical nuclear weapons.
“Nuclear weapons represent a strong deterring factor. But these are tactical nuclear weapons, not strategic ones,” Mr. Lukashenko stated Thursday. “This is why we will use them immediately once aggression is launched against us.”
The Belarusian chief stated his nation has one other weapon at its disposal along with its Russia-provided nuclear arsenal. He declined to elaborate.
“We will deliver a strike on decision-making centers once you cross red lines. It will be done without a warning,” Mr. Lukashenko warned. “We leave you alone and you should leave us alone. I mean, primarily those crazies in the West who are already making preparations.”
A Pentagon spokesman declined to substantiate whether or not Russia shipped tactical or strategic nuclear weapons to Belarus.
“We have not seen anything that would cause us to change the posture of our own strategic forces,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, stated Thursday. “Nor have we seen any indication that Russia has made a decision to employ nuclear weapons as it relates to the conflict in Ukraine.”
Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com