Russia States Conditions for Withdrawal of Nuclear Weapons from Belarus

The withdrawal of Russian tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus is possible only if the US and NATO abandon their destructive course aimed at undermining Russia. This was reported by Kommersant.ru, citing a statement from Alexey Polishchuk, Director of the Second CIS Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

He described the deployment of nuclear weapons as a response to 'NATO's and Washington's destabilizing nuclear policy.'

'In this regard, the hypothetical withdrawal of Russian tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus will only be possible if the US and NATO cease their destructive course targeting the security of Russia and Belarus. This implies the complete withdrawal of all US nuclear weapons to United States territory along with the elimination of the corresponding infrastructure in Europe,' Polishchuk told RIA Novosti.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus on March 25, stating that these would be relocated to the western borders of the Union State. According to the agreement, the decision to use nuclear weapons remains with the Russian side. Preparatory work for the deployment of the weapons was set to conclude on July 7-8. NATO and the US have condemned the decision made by Russian authorities.