Vladimir Putin announces that nuclear weapons will be stationed in Belarus. “Nuclear intimidation,” says Berlin. Organization warns of “extremely dangerous escalation”.
Moscow/Berlin – In the nuclear saber rattling, Vladimir Putin is now putting his words into action. After the Russian president and his entourage repeatedly threatened to resort to all means in the course of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia now wants to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus. Russia is therefore heavily criticized.
Ukraine war: Berlin reacts to Putin’s nuclear weapons announcement
In the Foreign Office in Berlin on Saturday evening (March 25) there was talk of a “further attempt at nuclear intimidation”. It went on to say: “President Putin’s comparison to NATO’s nuclear sharing is misleading and cannot serve to justify the step announced by Russia.” In addition, Belarus has made several international statements to be free of nuclear weapons.
“We’re just doing what they’ve been doing for decades,” Putin previously added to his announcement. He referred to the stationing of nuclear weapons by the USA with allies in Europe, including Germany. In the past, Putin had called for their withdrawal because Moscow saw itself as a threat. Now the President emphasized that Russia – like the USA – would not let any other country have its nuclear weapons. Rather, they would be kept there, and there would be training in weapons.
Criticism of Putin’s nuclear weapons plans: “Extremely dangerous escalation” in the Ukraine war
Vladimir Putin’s announcement was also criticized from other quarters. The campaign to abolish nuclear weapons warned of an “extremely dangerous escalation.” This increases the likelihood that such weapons will actually be used, the Nobel Prize-winning organization announced on Saturday in Geneva. “In the context of the Ukraine war, the risk of misjudgment or misinterpretation is extremely high.”
Training sessions on how to use nuclear weapons in Belarus are scheduled to begin on April 3, Putin said. The shafts for the Iskander missiles, which can be equipped with nuclear warheads, should be ready by July 1st. The ruler in Minsk, Alexander Lukashenko, has repeatedly asked for the stationing of tactical nuclear missiles, the Kremlin chief said. Russia has already helped Belarus convert aircraft, ten of which are now equipped to also launch tactical nuclear weapons.
The announcement is now the next escalation level, after Putin had already put Russia’s nuclear forces on alert at the beginning of the Ukraine war. The extent to which the Russian President is actually willing to use nuclear weapons is a matter of debate. (vbu with dpa)
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