Commenting on Russia’s announcement of an agreement with its neighbor, Belarus, to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on its territory, Ukraine considered that Moscow is taking its neighbor as a nuclear hostage and exploiting it.
Ukrainian Minister of National Security and Defense Oleksiy Danilov said that Minsk risks destabilizing its security if it deploys Russian nuclear weapons.
putin’s statement about placing tactical nuclear weapons in belarus – a step towards internal destabilization of the country – maximizes the level of negative perception and public rejection of russia and putin in belarusian society. The kremlin took Belarus as a nuclear hostage.
– Oleksiy Danilov (@OleksiyDanilov) March 26, 2023
He also accused, in a tweet on his Twitter account, Moscow of holding Belarus hostage, considering that the deployment of these weapons would constitute “a step towards destabilizing the country’s internal stability and doubling hostility to Russia.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced yesterday that his country had agreed with Minsk to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, adding that the necessary bunkers for these weapons are under construction and will be ready as of next July.
Lukashenko and the real uranium
He also stressed that the reason for this step was due to Britain’s announcement of its intention to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium ammunition, noting that Belarus had requested the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons on its territory for a long time.
It is noteworthy that the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and a close ally of Putin, had confirmed in previous statements that if London provided Kiev with uranium, it would give him real uranium, as he put it.
He also considered, in statements a few days ago, that as soon as the British ammunition exploded in the positions of the Russian forces, “the response will be terrible, and a lesson for the entire planet.”
Lukashenko’s statements came after the “uranium” debate flared up earlier this week when the British Secretary of State for Defense, Annabelle Goldie, stated that her country was seeking to transfer uranium ammunition to Kiev, as part of its efforts to provide “Challenger 2” combat tanks and “armor-piercing missiles.”
Depleted uranium is usually used in munitions designed to penetrate armor, because it becomes sharper upon impact with the target, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. It is also “less radioactive than natural uranium”!
