NATO criticized Russia on Sunday for its "dangerous and irresponsible" talk about nuclear weapons, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
A NATO spokesperson stated, "NATO is vigilant and closely monitoring the situation. We have not observed any changes in Russia's nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust our own." They noted that "Russia's reference to nuclear sharing in NATO is completely misleading. NATO partners fully respect their international commitments."
The spokesperson added, "Russia has long violated its obligations to prevent the spread of weapons and recently suspended its participation in the New START treaty on nuclear arms reduction."
Ukrainian President's security advisor Oleksiy Danilov stated that plans for Russia to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus would destabilize that country and accused Moscow of holding Minsk "hostage."
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called for an urgent session of the Security Council following Putin's announcement and urged the international community to "take decisive action" to prevent Russia from using nuclear weapons. They said in a statement, "Russia again confirms its ongoing inability to wield nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence and prevention of war, rather than as a tool for threats and intimidation."
