Russia has the option to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told reporters yesterday, according to Sputnik. Such an option would be considered “in the event of NATO’s refusal to discuss the security proposals [that Russia recently presented to the U.S. and NATO], the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday,” Sputnik reported. Rudenko commented on what will happen if the U.S. does not respond to the Russia proposals, and NATO military deployments continue: “We believe that such steps will only lead to a further escalation of the situation around Ukraine, and in our relations with the West as a whole, including the United States. I believe that, after all, there are reasonable people in Washington who understand the full danger of such actions.”
On the Belarusian side, President Alexander Lukashenko had stated earlier that Minsk will suggest that Russia deploy nuclear weapons in Belarusian territory if NATO does the same in Poland, according to Sputnik. And Belarusian Security Council deputy chief Maj. Gen. Vladimir Archakov accused the Baltic countries and other Western nations of aggravating regional tensions, warning that the Baltic States will be “swept off the face of the Earth” should a serious military conflict unfold in the region.
