Ukraine calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting over Russia’s plans to move nukes to Belarus
The ministry called for an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council to be immediately convened for this purpose.
“The latest statements by the Russian Federation about its intention to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus are another provocative step by the criminal Putin regime, which undermines the foundations of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the architecture of nuclear disarmament, and the international security system in general,” says the official statement of the Foreign Ministry published on March 26.
The global community is increasingly alarmed by the Russian government’s intentions, given that they come amidst Russia’s ongoing unprovoked aggression towards Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry pointed out that Russia has been unable to achieve victory on the battlefield, despite the heinous crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Kremlin’s forces against Ukrainians during its aggressive invasion and war.
Ukraine also urges Belarusian society to prevent the implementation of plans to station nuclear weapons on their territory, which would violate its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Ukraine warns that such a move would make Belarus a further subject to Kremlin control and would have dire consequences for its future.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry also called on countries of the Group of Seven and the European Union to warn Belarusian authorities about the consequences for Belarus if it agrees to accept tactical nuclear weapons from Russia on its territory.
“Ukraine expects effective actions to counter the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail by the UK, China, the United States, and France in particular, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, which bear special responsibility for preventing threats of aggression with the use of nuclear weapons,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Ukrainian diplomats call on all members of the world community “to convey to the criminal Putin regime the categorical unacceptability of its next nuclear provocations and to take decisive measures to effectively deter and prevent any possibility of the aggressor state’s use of nuclear weapons.”
“Russia once again confirms its chronic inability to be a responsible steward of nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence and prevention of war, not as a tool of threats and intimidation. The world must be united against the one who endangers the future of human civilization,” the ministry statement read.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced on March 25 that he plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, declaring that “the collective West is already starting to use weapons with a nuclear component,” forcing Russia to “react accordingly”.
Read also: Putin planned to deploy nukes in Belarus before full-scale invasion of Ukraine – ISW
He justified his decision based on the March 21 announcement by the United Kingdom that it will transfer depleted uranium shells for Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
The UK Ministry of Defense said that Putin was deliberately spreading false information.
“The British Army has been using depleted uranium in its armor-piercing projectiles for decades. It is a standard component that has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capability. Russia knows this, but is deliberately trying to misinform,” the UK Ministry of Defense said.
Per Putin’s statement, ten Belarusian aircraft have been converted by Russia for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, while the Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missile system has already been provided to Belarus, which has the capability to carry a nuclear projectile.
The Russian dictator also announced that construction of a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus will be completed by July 1.
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