UN official calls for urgent de-escalation over Russian nuclear plans in Belarus

April 1, BPN. Urgent efforts are needed to de-escalate the situation following Russia’s announcement of its plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, said Izumi Nakamitsu, UN high representative for disarmament affairs.

“The risk of a nuclear weapon being used is currently higher than at any time since the depths of the cold war,” she told the UN Security Council on March 31. “The war in Ukraine represents the most acute example of that risk.”

The risk is exacerbated by a lack of dialogue, the erosion of the disarmament and arms control architecture along with dangerous rhetoric and hidden threats, she stressed.

All states must avoid any actions that could lead to escalation, mistake or miscalculation, the official said. She also urged all signatories of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to adhere to their commitments, return to dialogue and secure transparency.

Russian envoy to the UN Vassily Nebenzia insisted that Russia was not violating its obligations. “We are not transferring nuclear weapons,” the UN press office quoted him as saying. “We are talking about the retrofitting of airplanes and training teams in construction of a storage facility on the territory of Belarus.”

Russia must respond to the deployment of 100 to 150 nuclear warheads by the US in Europe, he added. 

US representative Robert Wood dismissed Russia’s claims as “ludicrous,” noting that the use of armor-piercing ammunition with depleted uranium supplied to Ukraine by the West cannot be equaled to tactical nuclear weapons.

“Any use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine would have severe consequences and would fundamentally change the nature of this war,” Wood said, urging Russia to reconsider its decision about deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.