Russia defends decision to sign deal to deploy nuclear weapons to Belarus, Germany says 'wrong step'

The Russian Embassy in Washington asserted that Moscow and Minsk have the right to ensure their security through military-nuclear cooperation. Moscow also set conditions for the peace process with Ukraine.

Nga đưa vũ khí hạt nhân tới Belarus: Moscow chẳng quan tâm phương Tây nghĩ gì, xác nhận một hành động. (Nguồn: RT)

Russia defends decision to sign agreement on deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus. (Source: RT)

On its Telegram channel on May 26, the Russian Embassy emphasized: "We have noted increasingly frequent comments in recent days from the White House and the US State Department regarding Russia-Belarus nuclear- military cooperation.

They once again accused us of 'irresponsible and provocative' behavior. We would like to emphasize that it is the sovereign right of Russia and Belarus to ensure the security of our countries by taking measures that we consider necessary in the context of Washington's large-scale complex war against us."

"The measures we have taken are fully consistent with our international legal obligations. As Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said, Moscow has not transferred nuclear weapons to Belarus, and the right to control and decide on their use remains with Russia," the Russian diplomatic mission said.

On May 25, TASS news agency reported that Russia and Belarus signed a document on the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

* Previously, on May 26, German government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner said that Berlin strongly condemned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's statement that Russian nuclear weapons were being transferred to his country.

Spokesman Büchner said that the transfer of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus was "another attempt by Moscow to carry out nuclear intimidation", which the German government firmly opposes.

According to Mr. Büchner, by receiving nuclear weapons from Russia, Belarus is going against international commitments that its territory will be free of nuclear weapons.

On the Russian side, Mr. Büchner also said that Moscow was also going against its statement that all countries possessing nuclear weapons must not deploy these weapons outside their sovereign territories.

Mr Büchner asserted that Germany's message was clear: Russia's transfer of nuclear weapons to Belarus "is a wrong move".

* Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin on May 26 announced that Ukraine's abandonment of its efforts to join NATO and the EU and its return to non-aligned neutral status is one of the conditions for a successful peace process.

The Russian diplomat noted that Russia's approach to resolving the Ukrainian conflict remains the same, involving "protecting the people of Donbass, demilitarizing and denuclearizing Ukraine, as well as eliminating threats to Russia's security originating from the territory of Ukraine."

"We believe that a solution can only be achieved by completely ending the military actions of the Ukrainian army and the supply of weapons by the West. To achieve a comprehensive, just and stable peace, Ukraine must return to the non-aligned neutrality enshrined in its 1990 declaration of national sovereignty and refuse to join NATO and the EU," he said.

Deputy Minister Galuzin affirmed that protecting the rights of Russian speakers and ethnic minorities is an essential element of a peaceful solution.

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