Lukashenko: Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Belarus - Vital Factor of National Protection and Security

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has described the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory as an essential safeguard for the country’s defence and security.

In a fresh interview with RT, the president firmly rejected any suggestion that the weapons were brought in to provoke or intimidate the world.

“Why do you think I would import this tactical nuclear capability here and stir up the entire planet? To scare someone? Absolutely not,” Lukashenko declared. “This is a factor of our protection, our security.”

He emphasised that Belarus’s own defensive potential is powerfully reinforced by Russia’s military might, given the two nations’ status as the closest of allies.

“Add to that everything the Russian Federation possesses. We are their closest partners. For Russia today, losing Belarus is completely unacceptable,” he stressed. “As we used to say: it would mean the enemy standing at Smolensk, on the very approaches to Moscow. That is unacceptable for Russia.”

Lukashenko underlined the binding legal and military commitments between Minsk and Moscow.

“We are formally bound to one another, and Russia has stated outright that it will use its entire arsenal to defend Belarus. The whole world knows this — America knows it, Europe knows it. Therefore, any clash with Belarus is a clash with both Belarus and Russia,” he said.

The president also pointed to the substantial Russian military grouping positioned along Russia’s western border, ready to provide immediate support to Belarusian forces.

“And you know exactly what kind of weapons they have,” he added. “That is precisely why we do not want war.”