The Kremlin defended today, Thursday, its decision to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, denouncing criticisms of the move from NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that "it is the alliance that is expanding towards Russia, not the other way around, and therefore Moscow must take steps to defend its security."
Stoltenberg noted on Wednesday that Russia's actions contradict a joint Russian-Chinese statement, which indicated that countries should not deploy nuclear weapons outside their borders. In response to Stoltenberg's remarks, Peskov said, "NATO is the one expanding towards Russia, and not Russia moving its military infrastructure towards NATO borders." He added, "This move increases our fears and concerns for our safety... and we are taking measures to ensure our security. This will happen every time the alliance approaches our borders, in order to restore a balance to the security structure on the continent."
Finland joined NATO on Tuesday, doubling the alliance's land border with Russia, and Sweden is also set to join. The accession of the two countries to the alliance was prompted by Russia's military deployment in neighboring Ukraine last year. Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow for talks likely to address the issue of deploying Russian nuclear weapons in its neighbor.
