Putin Won’t Back Out from Deploying Nuclear Weapon in Belarus

Despite Western criticism, Russia on Monday said it would not back out from the plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus. Russian President Vladimir Putin had declared this decision.

This weekend announcement of Putin to place nuclear weapons in EU and NATO-bordering Belarus was condemned by the West. Plans are on for new sanctions on Moscow.

“Such a reaction of course cannot influence Russian plans,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Ukraine said it was seeking an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over the move.

Speaking during a televised interview on Saturday, Putin said Moscow would station the tactical nuclear weapons “without violating our international agreements on nuclear non-proliferation”.

Putin informed that he had talked with Belarusian ally Alexander Lukashenko regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons and that they had “agreed to do the same”.