Eva Deschamps / June 26, 2022
Russia will deliver in the coming months to Belarus missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, Vladimir Putin announced Saturday while receiving the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, in the midst of tensions between their countries and the West around Ukraine.
In the coming months, we will transfer to Belarus tactical missile systems Iskander-M, which can use ballistic or cruise missiles, in their conventional and nuclear versions, said Putin at the beginning of his meeting with Lukashenko in St. Petersburg broadcast by Russian television.
In statements that may further strain relations between Moscow and Western countries, the two leaders also said they wanted to modernize the Belarusian air force to make it capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Many Su-25 (aircraft) are in service in the Belarusian army. They could be upgraded in an appropriate way. This modernization should be carried out in aircraft factories in Russia and the training of personnel should begin in accordance with this, said Putin, after Lukashenko asked him to adapt his aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
This exchange comes at a time when Russia and its ally Belarus are in open crisis with Western countries since Moscow launched, with the diplomatic and logistical support of Minsk, a military offensive against Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the offensive, Mr. Putin has several times addressed, in a more or less direct way, the subject of Russian nuclear weapons, the Western countries seeing it as a threat to dissuade them from supporting Kiev.
Belarus, which borders Ukraine and several Nato countries, announced last month that it had purchased Iskander systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
During their meeting on Saturday, Putin and Lukashenko also discussed the situation of the fertilizer market. Russia and Belarus are among the world's leading producers, but say Western sanctions targeting them in connection with Ukraine have affected their export capacities, amid growing concerns about global food security.
With Lukashenko, we agreed to do everything possible to meet the needs of our consumers and customers for fertilizer, Putin said Saturday, adding that Moscow was in close contact with the specialized UN agencies on this issue.