Nuclear tensions rise as Belarus controls its own arsenal
Alexander Lukashenko, like Vladimir Putin, has his own "red button" for nuclear weapons, according to the Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, Alexander Volfovich. Russian warheads have been in the country for six months.
- Every president (of Belarus and Russia) has their own "red button," their own briefcase, their own nuclear suitcase - said Volfovich, as quoted by the BelTA agency.
He emphasized that only the president of Belarus has the right to use weapons located on Belarusian territory and only the president of Russia has the right to issue commands regarding weapons located on Russian territory.
He noted that Russia and Belarus are "brothers." - We have common national interests within the Union State, common goals - he said.
Nuclear weapons in Belarus
Since June, some Russian nuclear warheads have been stationed on Belarusian territory. In August, Alexander Lukashenko assured that the country would not use nuclear weapons unless there was a breach of the Union State's borders.
On December 5 at 7:00 p.m. ET, Vladimir Putin gave his acceptance of the Russian Foreign Ministry's proposal regarding an agreement with Belarus on security guarantees in the Union State. The document includes provisions of the updated nuclear doctrine adopted on November 19. It states that Russia may use nuclear weapons in case of an attack on Belarus.
The Union State of Russia and Belarus is a structure that originated in 1998. Officially, it aims to lead to deeper integration, including monetary union, although there are also concepts concerning the merging of both states. Over time, Minsk began to oppose this.
