MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/. No practical steps have been taken to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory, Belarus’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations Valentin Rybakov said on Tuesday.
"First, this is just a statement, nothing has been done in practice toward that," he said during a debate between candidates for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
"It is the sovereign decision of each state to defend itself from any external threats and challenges that country faces," he stressed. "I can assure you that if any decision on this matter is ever made, it would be the decision of the Belarusian government, not anyone else’s."
On March 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that at Minsk’s request, Moscow would deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, similar to what the United States had long been doing on the territory of its allies. As the Russian leader pointed out, the construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons will be completed in Belarus by July 1. Moscow has already provided Minsk with Iskander tactical missile systems capable of carrying nuclear weapons and has helped Minsk to re-equip its planes to carry specialized weapons. Missile crews and pilots have undergone training in Russia.
State Secretary of the Belarusian Security Council Alexander Volfovich said in early April that it was up to the two countries’ presidents to decide when Russian nuclear weapons would be deployed in Belarus.