Putin reassured me about Lukašenka’s statements on nuclear weapons, Macron says

February 8, BPN. The draft of the new Belarusian Constitution was among the topics covered in the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron in Moscow in the evening of February 7.

“I told President Putin that I am concerned about the draft Constitution of Belarus, which proposes to remove two fundamental provisions of 1994, and also about Aliaksandr Lukašenka’s message about nuclear weapons back in December. I would like to say that President Putin has reassured me in this regard,” Macron said at a joint press conference following the meeting.

The French leader may have meant the non-nuclear and neutral status of Belarus under the “two fundamental provisions” of the Belarusian Constitution. Following provision is proposed to be removed from Article 18 in a constitutional referendum scheduled for February 27: “The Republic of Belarus aims to make its territory a nuclear-free zone and the state a neutral one.”

Besides, Lukašenka has recently advocated the return of nuclear weapons to the country.

Macron also said: “Now, indeed, these issues worry me because they increase destabilization. Together we must create solid security guarantees for the EU member states and for the states of the region, including Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, and Russia. It is the goal that we should have.”

Before the start of the talks, the French president announced that he intended to discuss with Putin, in particular, “security issues in Belarus and in the entire region.”