MINSK, April 6. /TASS/. The timeframe for delivering Russian nuclear ordnance to Belarus will be determined jointly by the presidents of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, Belarusian Security Council Secretary Alexander Volfovich said on Thursday.
"When our leaders, the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian Federation and the commander-in-chief of the Belarusian armed forces, make the decision. It is their decision to make," the BelTA news agency quoted him as saying.
The official added that the amount of munitions is "not important." "What’s important is why and how to use them properly. And we know how to use them. And whether it is necessary to use them. I think it won’t come to that. After all, warheads and other tactical or strategic nuclear munitions are above all meant as a preventive measure, ensuring the security of both Russia and Belarus," he explained.
Earlier, Putin declared that Russia, at Minsk’s request, would deploy its tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil, precisely the way the US has deployed elements of its own nuclear arsenal on the territory of its allies. Moscow has already transferred the nuclear-capable Iskander system to Minsk and is helping its Belarusian colleagues to re-equip their aircraft accordingly.