Zelensky: Łukašenka no longer decides what weapons to host

April 1, BPN. Vladimir Putin’s decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus indicates that his March 21 talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Moscow failed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a press conference in Kyiv on March 31.

“If you want my personal opinion, the signal that Russia will station nuclear weapons in Belarus speaks of a failed meeting with China. It was necessary to demonstrate some agency, which Russia has completely lost under the leadership of President Putin,” Zelensky said (quotes rendered from Belarusian).

Alaksandr Łukašenka lacks agency too, he added. “I think that he no longer decides what weapons are in his territory,” the Ukrainian president said.

In March, Putin said that a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would be completed by July 1. The West and Belarusian democratic forces denounced this plan, while China made some cautious comments.