Belarusian authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka says Russian tactical nuclear weapons will arrive in his country within "days," earlier than previously thought for a move that has ratcheted up already strained tensions between the Kremlin and the West.
Speaking on June 13, Lukashenka said the decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil was his and not that of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said last week that the weapons would likely be deployed around the second week of July, once storage facilities were ready.
"Everything is ready. I think we will have what we asked for in a few days, And even a little bit more," Lukashenka said.
"This is not about Russia...It was my request. Russia did not impose it on me. Why? Because, as you all say, nobody in the world ever fought against a nuclear power, and I do not want anyone to fight against us," he added.
Moscow and Minsk signed documents allowing for the placement of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus -- the first relocation of such warheads outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union -- on May 25.
The announcement sparked immediate criticism from governments around the world, while NATO called it "dangerous and irresponsible." Although Washington has been critical of the move, neither the United States nor NATO have revised their positions on strategic nuclear weapons.
Putin has asserted that the move mirrors the long-standing U.S. practice of basing tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of NATO allies, including Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Turkey.
Russian authorities have repeatedly raised the specter of the potential use of nuclear weapons since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
While top Russian officials have said that Moscow will control its tactical nuclear weapons after they are transferred to Belarus, Lukashenka said he "would not hesitate" to use them "if there is aggression against us."
Since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has used Belarus -- with Lukashenka's approval -- as a staging area for the unprovoked attack.
Belarus has welcomed closer relations with Moscow since a wave of crushing sanctions were imposed on it by the West after a sometimes deadly government crackdown on massive protests following a disputed 2020 presidential election handed Lukashenka a sixth term.
