Russia and Belarus treaty reignites nuclear tensions
The Russian leader Vladimir Putin submitted a treaty on security guarantees to the State Duma, signed in December 2024 by Russia and Belarus. It provides for the possibility of using nuclear weapons in the event of a threat to the sovereignty of either country.
The document stipulates that nuclear weapons may be used if conventional weapons are employed against Russia or Belarus. Additionally, the treaty allows for the deployment of Russian troops and military facilities in Belarus. An armed attack on one of the parties will be treated as an act of aggression against both countries - emphasised the Ukrainian portal Glavred.
Possibility of nuclear weapons use
The Chairman of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, noted that the ratification of the treaty will be treated as a priority. This is particularly important in the context of ongoing provocations from EU countries - added Volodin.
During the signing of the treaty, the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko requested the deployment of the medium-range ballistic missile system Oreshnik in Belarus. Putin promised to fulfil this request, announcing that it would be possible in the second half of 2025. These missiles are to be part of the Russian strategic forces, and their targets in Belarus will be decided by Minsk.
Deployment of Oreshnik missiles
Oreshnik is a ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear payloads, which Russia used in one of its attacks on Ukraine in autumn of last year. Nuclear warheads were removed from Belarus after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, but in 2023 Putin announced that Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons there as a deterrent against Western countries.
