MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. Threats to Belarus continue to exist, so, the deployment of Russia’s Oreshnik systems in its territory is quite justified, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu told TASS.
"I would like to stress that trust-building measures are not a mere exchange of gestures, but a comprehensive process requiring due account of absolutely all factors. Russia has agreed to deploy the Oreshnik system in Belarus at the direct request from the Belarusian side, taking into account threats to the security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of our closest ally. So far, these threats stay in place," he said when asked whether Russia could refuse from deploying its Oreshnik systems in Belarus if the United States abandon its plans to deploy its intermediate and shorter-range missiles in Germany.
According to Shoigu, European countries are building up their military presence near the western borders of the Union State of Russia and Belarus and don’t demonstrate any readiness to deescalate the situation. "Rather, on the contrary: belligerent statements are becoming mome more frequent, military spending is growing, the potential deployment of nuclear weapon in the exact vicinity of the Union State’s borders is being looked at, the desire to change power in Belarus, including by force, is expressed quite openly," he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said after the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus in Minsk earlier in the day that the Russian Oreshnik missile system could be deployed to Belarus in the second half of 2025. This came after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko revealed that had asked the Russian leader to deploy the Oreshnik in his country.