Ukraine requests UN Security Council session after Putin’s words about deploying tactical nukes in Belarus

Ukraine has called for a meeting of the UN Security Council following Vladimir Putin’s words about deploying tactical nukes in Belarus, as per a statement by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.

In the statement, the ministry calls upon the UK, China, US, and France to act against the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail.

“Such intentions can’t not be a reason for deep concern of the entire worldwide community, seeing as Russia announced them at the same time it’s conducting an unprovoked aggressive war,” the statement reads.

The ministry has also appealed to Belarusian people, calling upon them not to let nuclear weapons be deployed on the territory of Belarus, seeing as that could “turn the country into the Kremlin’s hostage and have catastrophic consequences for its future”.

High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said in a tweet that the European Union is ready to introduce new sanctions against Russia in case of deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus.

“Belarus hosting Russian nuclear weapons would mean an irresponsible escalation & threat to European security. Belarus can still stop it, it is their choice. The EU stands ready to respond with further sanctions,” he tweeted.

Yesterday, 25 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. According to him, the country would finish constructing “a special storage for tactical nuclear weapons” in Belarus on 1 July. Russia has already deployed ten planes capable of carrying these weapons in Belarus, while also handing an Iskander missile system to Minsk, Putin added.