Senior Russian Diplomat Says Deployed Nuclear Weapons To Belarus Can Be Withdrawn Again, As Long As...

Illustration of ballistic missiles capable of carrying Russian nuclear warheads. (Wikimedia Commons/Dmitry Terekhov)

JAKARTA - The deployment of Russia's tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus is not limited in time, the TASS news agency quoted a senior Russian diplomat as saying Monday, but did not rule out withdrawing it.

Russia announced it would deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus in March, a close ally that has provided support for Moscow's attack on Ukraine.

Along with that, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the weapons began arriving last month.

This deployment is Moscow's first step towards placing such a warhead, a short-range nuclear weapon with a low explosive power potentially used on the battlefield, outside Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"Regarding the possible time limit for the presence of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, the Russia-Belarusia agreement does not imply any restrictions in this," Alexei Polishchuk, Department Director for Soviet Ex-Universary Countries, Russia's Foreign Ministry said in an interview. June 19.

However, Polishchuk said the weapons could be withdrawn from Belarus if the United States and NATO "retained themselves from undermining the security and sovereignty of Russia and Belarus".