Ashish Ranjan
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has condemned the nuclear rhetoric of Russian President Vladimir Putin, following his announcement that he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
This act represents one of the clearest indications of Russia’s nuclear intentions since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine over a year ago. In response to the circumstance, Ukraine has requested a meeting of the UN Security Council.
Reuters reported NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu as saying, “Russia’s nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible.””The NATO is vigilant and we are monitoring the situation attentively. We have not observed any adjustments in Russia’s nuclear posture that would prompt us to alter ours.”
Putin compared his proposal to station nuclear weapons in Belarus to the US deployment of weapons in Europe and emphasized that Russia would honor its commitments to nuclear non-proliferation during his remarks on Saturday.
While the United States, another global nuclear power, minimized the significance of Putin’s announcement, NATO criticized his non-proliferation pledge and his inaccurate characterization of the United States’ overseas deployment of weapons.
“The Russian reference to NATO’s nuclear sharing is completely deceptive. Lungescu said in a statement that NATO allies adhere strictly to their international obligations. Russia has persistently violated its arms control obligations.
Oleksiy Danilov, a top security adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has stated that Russia’s plan could lead to instability in Belarus, a nation he believes is under Moscow’s control. Lithuania has proclaimed its intention to propose new sanctions against Moscow and Minsk in response to Russia’s proposal.
The additional sanctions will be proposed as part of a larger package of penalties that is currently under discussion in Brussels. This step is significant because it contradicts Russia’s previous position that it would not deploy nuclear weapons outside its borders, as the United States has been accused of doing. This may be the first occasion since the mid-1990s that Russia has deployed nuclear weapons outside of its territory, according to some experts.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Zelenskiy, ridiculed Putin’s plan on Twitter on Sunday.”He admits to fearing defeat, and all he can do is intimidate with tactics,” Podolyak tweeted.
Putin (RF) is too predictable.
Making a statement about tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, he admits that he is afraid of losing & all he can do is scare with tactics…
Second. He once again states his involvement in the crime. Violating the nuclear non-proliferation treaty…— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) March 26, 2023
Tactical nuclear weapons are those utilized for specific battlefield advantages, as opposed to those with the capacity to destroy cities. It is unknown how many of these weapons Russia possesses, as this area remains enveloped in Cold War secrecy.
