China says 'strategic risks should be reduced' in response to Russia’s nuclear threats

Following Russia’s threats to place its nuclear weapons in Belarus, Mao Ning, the spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said that the issue had to be settled “diplomatically,” Sina media outlet reported on March 27.

Mao, however, once again called Russia’s war a “Ukrainian crisis,” stressing that all sides should focus on resolving it “peacefully.”

At the same time, Mao reminded  that in January 2022, the leaders of the  five nuclear countries made a joint statement that stressed that "wars between nuclear-weapon states should be avoided and strategic risks should be reduced."

Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened on March 25 that his country intends to place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus for training, the latest in Moscow's series of nuclear threats against Ukraine and the West.

Putin said the "special storage facility" for tactical nuclear weapons would be ready by July 1.

On March 26, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell reacted to Russia’s announcement, calling it an “irresponsible escalation and threat to European security.” Borrell added that Belarus, which acts as Russia's ally in the war against Ukraine, “can still stop it, it is their choice."

On March 27, Peter Stano, the spokesperson for the European Commission on foreign policy issues, said that the European Union would react if Russia deployed its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus as announced by Moscow.