France calls on Russia to revise decision on nuke arms deployment in Belarus

WORLD  27 March 2023 - 10:52

The French foreign ministry has called on Russia to revise its agreement with Belarus on the deployment of nuclear weapons as having a destabilizing character.

"France attaches great significance to the commitment to the January 3, 2022 statement on the inadmissibility of a nuclear war and an arms race, which was approved by both [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and all the heads of state and government of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. It calls on Russia to demonstrate responsibility, which is expected from a state possessing nuclear weapons, and revise this destabilizing agreement," it said on March 26, according to TASS.

According to the French foreign ministry, this decision "represents an additional element of the erosion of the international architecture of arms control and strategic stability in Europe amid Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty entailing its termination and Russia’s declared suspension of its participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in February."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that at Belarus’ request, Russia will deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, like the United States has long been doing on the territories of its allied countries. Moscow has already transferred to Minsk an Iskander system that can use nuclear weapons. According to the Russian leader, the construction of a depot for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is expected to be completed on July 1.

Caliber.Az