BRUSSELS, May 25. /TASS/. Russia and Belarus’ agreement on the deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus "does not contribute to de-escalation," European Commission Spokesperson Peter Stano said on Thursday.
Of course, this is not a step towards de-escalation, this is not a step towards decreasing the tension. This is a step that only increases tensions, which could also be seen as further escalation and further provocation in the context of the illegal aggression by Russia and Belarus, <...> cooperating and collaborating [with Moscow]. The European Union, of course, will be monitoring very closely how this will develop," he said.
On May 25 in Minsk, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin signed documents defining the procedure for keeping Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons in a special storage facility on Belarusian territory. Shoigu pointed out that while Russia is storing these weapons in Belarus, it is not transferring them to the country; it is Moscow that retains control over them and has ultimate say over how to use them.
In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the construction of a storage facility was planned to be completed by July 1. Moscow has already handed over to Minsk the Iskander-M tactical missile system, which is capable of carrying not only conventional, but also nuclear weapons, and helped re-equip Belarusian aircraft to use special munitions.