At a May 25 meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization [9] (CSTO) in Minsk, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin signed [10] documents allowing Russian tactical nuclear weapons to be deployed on Belarusian territory. Shoigu and Khrenin cited [11] a "sharp escalation of threats on the western border of Russia and Belarus." Meanwhile, at a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union [12] in Moscow, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko implied [13] to an interviewer that the nuclear weapons may "already" be stationed in Belarus.
A report on Russian state news agency TASS [16] emphasizes that Moscow is to maintain command and control over the nuclear arms deployed in Belarus, but also states that "Belarusian missile crews and pilots have undergone training in Russia."
The European Union responded to the signing with a statement [14] condemning the agreement, calling it "a step which will lead to further extremely dangerous escalation."
From Jurist [17], May 27. Used with permission.
See our last reports on the Belarus nuclear deployment [18], and ongoing Russian nuclear threats [19].
