EU to monitor Russia-Belarus nuclear weapons deal

May 25, BPN. The European Union (EU) has said that it will closely watch how Russia and Belarus carry out their agreement to deploy Russian nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil.

The statement comes as Russian and Belarusian defense chiefs signed the terms of operation of a storage facility for tactical nukes in the former Soviet republic.

EU spokesman Peter Stano told reporters in Brussels that the signing was a provocative move that increased tensions and did not help de-escalate the situation.

He pointed out Belarus’ “cooperation and collaboration” in Russia’s “illegal aggression” against Ukraine.

He said the EU will react “as appropriate” to the implementation of the nuclear weapons plan by Minsk and Moscow.

Belarus has been known as a non-nuclear state since the 1990s, when it gave up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons and joined a nonproliferation treaty.

In March, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia was planning to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, pointing to the United States having them in several partner countries.

Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja condemned the plan, saying it violated the country’s non-nuclear status and threatened the security of Ukraine and Europe.

She said it was necessary to thwart the plan that would ensure “Russia’s control over Belarus for years to come.”