NATO assured this Sunday that it does not see changes in Russia’s nuclear posture that would lead it to review that of the Alliance itself, after Moscow announced on Saturday an agreement with the Belarusian regime for the deployment of tactical atomic weapons in the territory of that State, which shares a border with Ukraine.
“NATO is vigilant and we are monitoring the situation closely. We have not seen any change in Russia’s nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust ours. We are committed to protecting and defending all NATO allies,” he told the agency. EFE the spokesperson for the Alliance, Oana Lungescu.
He added that Russia’s nuclear ‘rhetoric’ is ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ and described as “totally misleading” the references by Russian President Vladimir Putin to NATO’s policy by which the United States has some nuclear weapons deployed in locations in European countries, but in Washington’s custody and in compliance with the Non-Disclosure Treaty. Nuclear proliferation.
Lungescu stated that NATO allies “fully” respect their international commitments.
“Russia has systematically violated its commitments on arms controlmost recently suspending its participation in the New START treaty,” said the spokeswoman, who asked Moscow to “return to compliance and act in good faith.”
For his part, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrellwarned this Sunday that the EU was “prepared” to adopt new sanctions against Belarus if it allows the deployment on its territory of Russian nuclear weapons.
“Belarus’s Welcome of Russian Nuclear Weapons would imply an irresponsible escalation and a threat to European security. Belarus can still stop her, it’s their decision. The EU is prepared to respond with more sanctions,” Borrell said on Twitter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday an agreement with the Belarusian regime for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of that country.
“There is nothing extraordinary here. First, the United States has been doing it for decades. It placed its tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its allied countries, the NATO countries, in Europe a long time ago. If my memory serves me correctly, in six countries: Germany, Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Greece”, assured the head of the Kremlin in statements to public television.
Putin stressed that this agreement does not violate Russia’s obligations on nuclear non-proliferation and announced that the training of the Belarusian military will begin on April 3 and on July 1, the construction of a silo to place said weapons in the neighboring country will have been completed.
“We do not give them up. The United States does not give them to its allies either, ”he added, specifying that Moscow has already modernized the Belarusian Air Force planes to carry such weapons.
In February, Putin announced the suspension of his country’s compliance with START III or New START, the last nuclear disarmament treaty still in force between Russia and the US.
Ukraine called on Sunday to urgently meet the UN Security Councilafter the announcement of Moscow. “Ukraine expects from the United Kingdom, China, the United States and France effective actions to counteract the nuclear blackmail of the Kremlin,” which is the fifth permanent member of the Security Council, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “We asked that to this end an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council be convened immediately”, added the ministry.
With information from EFE and AFP
Keep reading:
The European Union rejected the installation of the Russian nuclear arsenal in Belarus and warned that there will be sanctions
Ukraine demanded an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council over the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus
Putin announced the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus, on the border with Ukraine, and threatened to use depleted uranium shells
Source-www.infobae.com