Belarus will show ‘no hesitation’ on use of nuclear weapons in case of aggression: President

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that Minsk will show “no hesitation” on the use of nuclear weapons in the event of an aggression against the country.

“I think it is unlikely that anyone would want to fight a country that has such weapons. These are weapons of deterrence. … God forbid I have to make a decision on the use of these weapons in modern times. But there will be no hesitation, as long as there is aggression against us," Lukashenko told journalists during a working trip to the capital Minsk region, according to the Belarusian state news agency Belta.

Lukashenko said the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus was a “necessary” decision so that none “set foot” on Belarusian soil, noting that the decision was his “urgent demand” to Moscow to guarantee his country's security.

In late May, Russian and Belarusian defense ministers signed an agreement on the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, which stipulates terms for keeping them in a special storage facility.

Earlier this year, Putin announced that Russia will deploy tactical nuclear weapons and complete the construction of a special storage facility for them in neighboring Belarus.

Putin said the move was in response to growing security risks, stressing that Moscow followed the US, which deployed its tactical nuclear arms in European countries.​​​​​​