MINSK, August 15. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he won’t use tactical nuclear weapons deployed in his country until the enemy crosses the border of the Union State of Russia and Belarus.
He said that, when tactical nuclear weapons appeared in Belarus, he told his foreign opponents: "We are not going to use any weapons until you step on our state border. It's also the border of our Union State."
He made the comment in an interview for the Vesti Nedeli program on Rossiya-1 television, a fragment of which was published by the BelTA news agency.
Asked whether he was ready to press the "red button," Lukashenko said that "red buttons" had already been pressed around the perimeter of Belarus and Russia.
"One thing that hasn’t been done is pressing the 'reddest button.' So, in moral terms, it doesn’t probably feel right for me and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to even talk about it when making such decisions," the Belarusian president said.
He mentioned that existing agreements stipulate that in the event of aggression against Minsk, Russia will send its units into the country to provide military support.
"Russia according to our agreement sends its units - they are assigned, which armies - into Belarus. We take the first blow, and then Russia backs us up in reserve. This war is shared by Belarus and Russia - the war against these animals. What, are we to wait until they tread our country to pieces, as they did with the Soviet Union [at the start of the Great Patriotic War]? No! So, we will respond instantly and appropriately," Lukashenko said.
On March 25, 2023, the Russian president announced that Moscow would deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus at Minsk's request, similar to what the United States has long done on the territory of its allies. Moscow gave Minsk the Iskander missile system, which can fire nuclear-tipped weapons, and assisted in re-equipping Belarusian aircraft to carry nuclear munitions. Belarusian missile crews and pilots received appropriate training in Russia. In June last year, Putin announced that the first Russian nuclear charges had been delivered to Belarus, and the rest of the shipment would arrive by the end of 2023. In late April 2024, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Russia had deployed several dozen nuclear warheads in the country.
Belarus' updated military doctrine, which was adopted by the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in April, states that Minsk's ability to prevent military danger relies, among other things, on the support of its allies, primarily Russia. The deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in the country is seen as an important component of deterring potential adversaries.