Russia’s large-scale nuclear forces exercises concluded today with the participation of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus. The two presidents “conducted a drill of the nuclear forces in accordance with the joint training plan for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus,” Russian Minister of Defence Andrei Belousov reported, according to the Kremlin transcript.
“As I have said before, and would like to emphasise once again, that the use of nuclear weapons is an extreme and exceptional measure to ensure the national security of our countries,” Putin said. “At the same time, considering the rising tensions around the world and the emergence of new threats and risks, our nuclear triad must continue to serve as a reliable guarantor of the sovereignty of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, ensuring strategic deterrence and maintaining nuclear parity and the global balance of power.”
In remarks closing out the exercise, he thanked everybody involved, from both countries: “Such joint efforts undoubtedly do much to strengthen our brotherhood in arms and the coherence of our units and formations.”
