In a recent statement, Konstantin Vorontsov, the Deputy Director of the Department of Non-Proliferation and Arms Control at Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that Russia’s nuclear weapons will continue to be stationed in Belarus as long as the United States deploys its nuclear weapons in Europe. Vorontsov made these remarks during a session of the First Committee (Disarmament) of the United Nations General Assembly.
Vorontsov emphasized that any discussion about revising the joint decisions made by Russia and Belarus regarding nuclear matters is unrealistic without the U.S. and NATO abandoning their harmful policies that undermine Russia’s security. He specifically mentioned the need for a complete withdrawal of American nuclear weapons from Europe, including the dismantling of their corresponding infrastructure. Vorontsov stated that Russia does not accept claims that the presence of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus violates the non-nuclear status of Minsk. He highlighted Belarus’s participation in the Budapest Memorandum and its accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear state.
Furthermore, Vorontsov concluded that Russia maintains full control over the nuclear weapons in Belarus. This statement comes after President Vladimir Putin recently assessed the possibility of nuclear weapon use against Russia. Additionally, there have been calls in the United States for United Nations Security Council reforms.
