Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that if any other country wants to join the Union of Russia and Belarus, "there will be nuclear weapons for everyone."
In an interview broadcast on Russian state television late Sunday, Lukashenko, the strongest ally of President Vladimir Putin among Russia's neighbors, stated that it must be "strategically understood" that Minsk and Moscow have a unique opportunity to unite, emphasizing that "there is no opposition to Kazakhstan and other countries that have close ties like ours with the Russian Federation."
He added, "If anyone is concerned, it's very simple: they should join the Union State between Belarus and Russia. That's it, and there will be nuclear weapons for everyone," noting that "this is his opinion and not Moscow's position."
Last week, Russia advanced a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, marking the first time the Kremlin has stationed these warheads outside Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, which has raised concerns in the West.
