Ukraine sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and called for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to address this move. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry described the decision as "another provocative step by Moscow that undermines the entire international security system."
The ministry's statement emphasized, "Russia once again confirms its ongoing inability to possess nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence and protection from war, rather than as a tool for threats and intimidation."
The ministry demanded that the Security Council convene to discuss the issue and urged the G7 countries and the European Union to warn Belarus of the "far-reaching consequences" if it accepts the deployment of Russian weapons on its territory.
The statement continued, "Ukraine calls on all members of the international community to inform Putin's criminal regime of the unequivocal rejection of its nuclear provocations and to take decisive action to deter any use of nuclear weapons by the aggressor state and prevent it."
Although the Belarusian military has not officially fought in Ukraine, Minsk has allowed Moscow to use its territory to send troops to Ukraine last year, and the two countries share close military ties.
