Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday warned potential enemies of his nation “that if they set foot on the Belarusian soil, they will get an instant response with all kinds of weapons,” including nuclear ones.
Lukashenko has been a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin for years, and he has been one of the biggest defenders of the Kremlin’s current war in Ukraine. The Belarusian leader was credited with brokering negotiations between Putin and since-deceased Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin when the latter led an armed mutiny against Russia in June.
In sign of their strong ties, Putin deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus in the summer. While speaking at a session of the 7th Belarusian People’s Congress on Thursday, Lukashenko spoke of those Russian weapons and how he wouldn’t hesitate to use them.
According to state-owned Belarusian news agency BelTA, Lukashenko said the Russian nukes are a deterrence against neighboring countries that are “armed to the teeth” and have troops deployed near the borders of Belarus.
Photo by ANTON VAGANOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
“How can we deter them? Well, here come nuclear weapons. We do not threaten anyone with nuclear weapons. We are not attacking anyone. This idle talk about Putin placing them [nuclear weapons in Belarus], and Lukashenko not using them if a war starts against Belarus, is nonsense. You know me well,” Lukashenko said.
He continued, “They also know very well that if they set foot on the Belarusian soil, they will get an instant response with all kinds of weapons from us, including from the Russian Federation. You have recently heard President Putin’s statement that an attack on Belarus will be regarded as an attack on the Russian Federation. Therefore, today we are fully determined to counter any aggressor and inflict unacceptable damage on an adversary.”
BelTA reported the head of state also said the tactical nuclear weapons Putin deployed in Belarus fit into his country’s doctrine of having the capability to destroy its enemies.
“Even before nuclear weapons were deployed in Belarus, we were intent on inflicting unacceptable damage upon them. I want them to realize that we can strike so much that it will be unacceptable for them,” Lukashenko said.
“Standing face-to-face and shooting at each other is not the idea. We understand perfectly well that it would be very difficult. Next to impossible,” he added. “This is why our previous military documents mentioned the factor of inflicting unacceptable military damage.”
Newsweek contacted Lukashenko’s office via email on Thursday night for further comment.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.