Russia could put nuclear ICBMs in Belarus if necessary, Lukashenko says amid Ukraine tensions
- Moscow has already decided to station tactical nukes on Belarus soil, but the leader says he and Putin could bring in longer-range strategic weapons, as well
- It would be Russia’s first such deployment of nuclear arms outside its borders since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday that Russia, which has already decided to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, could if necessary put intercontinental nuclear missiles there too.
In an annual address to lawmakers and government officials, Lukashenko said Moscow’s plans to station nuclear arms on the territory of its close ally would help protect Belarus, which he said was under threat from the West.
“I am not trying to intimidate or blackmail anyone. I want to safeguard the Belarusian state and ensure peace for the Belarusian people,” Lukashenko said.
Although Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that the tactical missiles would remain under Moscow’s control, Lukashenko suggested he could use them with Russia’s agreement if Belarus was threatened with destruction.
He also raised the prospect of deploying strategic nuclear weapons – intercontinental ballistic missiles that can destroy whole cities from thousands of kilometres away – on Belarusian soil.