As Ukrainska Pravda reports, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry described the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and the joint nuclear exercises of both countries as an unprecedented challenge to the global security architecture. The diplomats are demanding a tough, concerted response from the international community.
According to the ministry, the joint exercises directly violate Articles 1 and 2 of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). These prohibit nuclear states from transferring control over weapons of mass destruction technology and non-nuclear states from accepting it. By turning Belarus into a nuclear bridgehead on NATO’s eastern flank, the Kremlin is effectively legitimizing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and setting a dangerous precedent for other authoritarian regimes.
The Foreign Ministry stated verbatim: “The militarization of Belarus not only undermines trust in international law but makes Minsk a final accomplice in Russian nuclear blackmail. The arrogance of Moscow and Minsk, which have deliberately crossed all red lines of the NPT, must not go unanswered without a tough, concerted response and systematic containment of both regimes by the Euro-Atlantic community and the entire world.”
An effective response must include a drastic expansion of sanctions against Moscow and Minsk, a significant increase in support for Ukraine, a strengthened allied presence on NATO’s eastern flank, and deepened security cooperation with Ukraine, the ministry added.
