US and EU decry Russian plan to deploy nuclear arms in Belarus
US president Joe Biden has said he had an “extremely negative” reaction to reports that Russia has moved ahead with its plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, while the European Union has condemned the plan.
Reuters reports that the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said:
This is a step which will lead to further extremely dangerous escalation.
Russia signed a pact with Belarus on Thursday about the storage of the warheads, at a facility due to be finished in just over a month. The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, said later that the relocation of some of the weapons had already begun.
Borrell said the agreement contravened multiple international agreements.
We call on Russia to abide by these commitments. The Belarusian regime is an accomplice in Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.
Borrell said any attempt “to further escalate the situation will be met by a strong and coordinated reaction”.