MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. Russia retains control over tactical nuclear weapons which will be deployed in Belarus in accordance with international obligations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday.
"Both our Belarusian friends and our representatives, Russia’s representatives, have repeatedly explained what was going on in this regard. This [deployment of nuclear weapons} does not violate a single international obligation by Belarus or the Russian Federation in any way, including the obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We are retaining control over weapons which will be deployed on our ally’s territory which fully ensures the implementation of the obligations I mentioned," he told the ONT TV channel.
On March 25, Russian President Vladimir 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. On June 16, Putin said that the first Russian nuclear warheads had already been delivered to Belarus and the entire batch would be deployed by the end of the year.