Lukashenko vows restraint on nuclear arms, urges peace talks

President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, announced in an interview with Russian media that he will not use tactical nuclear weapons unless the state border is breached, the Belta news agency reported on Thursday.

In a statement to the Rossiya TV station, Lukashenko was asked about his readiness to activate the "red button," which would signify the use of tactical nuclear weapons. "If it comes to nuclear weapons, all the 'red buttons' have already been used by our neighbours. (...) Now it's a matter of the 'most red button'," said Lukashenko.

"When tactical nuclear weapons arrived here, I openly declared (...) that we will not use any weapons unless you are at our border. This is the line that separates our Union State," he explained.

Additionally, Lukashenko called for peace talks and an end to the conflict, emphasising that war is not in the interest of "the Ukrainian people, Russians, or Belarusians".

The independent portal Nasza Niwa pointed out that representatives of the Russian government previously announced that Moscow maintains control over the nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus.