Deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus does not violate Non-Proliferation Treaty – Ryabkov

The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons of the Russian Federation in Belarus does not violate the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. His words are quoted by the Izvestia edition.

Ryadkov stressed that Russia does not transfer control over nuclear weapons to the Belarusian side. He noted that this measure is of a forced nature and was taken within the framework of a single defense space of the Union State.

“It must be emphasized once again: control over Russian nuclear weapons is not transferred,” he said.

Earlier, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons (TNW) on the territory of Belarus was his initiative. He expressed confidence that the use of these weapons would not be required.

It was also reported that in Belarus work continues on the infrastructure for deploying Russian tactical nuclear weapons, the Ministry of Defense and the KGB of the republic were instructed to develop an algorithm for its use if necessary.

In the United States, on June 27, they claimed that they could not confirm the information about the transfer of part of the Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, since they did not record changes in the location of Russian nuclear forces. The State Department also stressed that “as a nuclear power, Russia has a special responsibility” to ensure that there are no threats to strategic stability.