Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko participated in a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State in Minsk yesterday and during their public remarks afterwards, talked about Russia deploying Oreshnik missiles into Belarus. “We have certain locations where we can place these weapons. There is only one condition—the targets for these arms shall be determined by the military and political leaders of Belarus,” Lukashenko said, reported TASS. “In the meantime, while you instruct us on how to use this weapon, should you agree to this, Russian specialists will service it and carry out launches on certain targets with Oreshnik warheads. You know how to do this. You have demonstrated it recently. This would significantly strengthen the defense of our Union and, above all, of the Belarusian territory.”
“I sincerely ask you to consider this and agree to my request,” he said to Putin. “They reproach us, saying that nuclear weapons have been deployed in Belarus. But this [Oreshnik] is not a nuclear weapon. It is very effective, and as you mentioned, it inflicts damage comparable to a nuclear weapon, but without any contamination or potential fallout,” the Belarusian President said.
