SOFIA, March 26. /TASS/. Talks between Russia and Ukraine are badly needed to reduce risks of serious escalation, Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Iotova said on Sunday, commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement on possible deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
"[The situation] is growing more dangerous and frightening. That is why both I and the president [of Bulgaria Rumen Radev] are saying that it is time to sit down at the negotiating table, with the participation of all parties concerned, including the United Nations, Europe’s authorities and other organizations. This is what we want because huge amounts of weapons, as you can see, leads to unpredictable decisions which are fraught with a serious war," she said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that at Belarus’ request Russia will deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, like the United States has long been doing on the territories of its allied countries. Moscow has already transferred to Minsk an Iskander system that can use nuclear weapons. According to the Russian leader, the construction of a depot for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is expected to be completed on July 1.
Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said earlier that the United States doesn’t let Ukraine even think about a possibility of peace talks with Russia.