Russian envoy says nukes to be stationed near Belarus’ western borders

April 2, BPN. A nuclear weapons storage facility will be constructed in Belarus by July 1 despite protests from the European Union and the United States, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov has told STV.

It will be located near the western borders of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, he added.

“There has to be a certain parity if we are talking about the deployment of American nuclear weapons in the European countries,” he said listing Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Turkey as US proxies.

On March 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons would be completed in Belarus by July 1.

The West and Belarusian democratic forces denounced this plan, while China made some cautious comments.

The Russian plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is not intended to intimidate someone but to secure the Belarusian state, Alaksandr Łukašenka said in his annual address to the nation and parliament on March 31.

Neither Łukašenka nor Putin named a specific location for the construction of the storage facility.