The deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and joint nuclear drills by the two authoritarian regimes represent an unprecedented challenge to the global security architecture that requires a firm international response.
This is stated in a comment by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine regarding the Belarusian-Russian nuclear exercises, Ukrinform reports.
The Foreign Ministry recalled that the joint practice of conducting strikes directly violates key Articles I and II of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which strictly prohibit nuclear-weapon states from transferring control over weapons of mass destruction technology and non-nuclear-weapon signatories from receiving it.
“By turning Belarus into its nuclear staging ground near NATO borders, the Kremlin is de facto legitimizing the proliferation of nuclear weapons worldwide and setting a dangerous precedent for other authoritarian regimes. Such actions must face unequivocal and resolute condemnation from all states that respect the nuclear non-proliferation regime,” the MFA stated.
The ministry added that the militarization of Belarus not only undermines trust in international law but also ultimately turns Minsk into an accomplice in Russia’s nuclear blackmail.
