Lukashenko cannot say no to Putin – Belarusian public figure Bulba on nuclear weapons deployment  

He shared this opinion on Espreso.

The expert noted that Belarus was waiting for China's reaction to the deployment of nuclear weapons in the country.

"China expressed its displeasure. Over the course of a month, the flow of cargo by rail through Belarus to Europe decreased by 54%. Accordingly, China made such a decision, after all, it is the main beneficiary. This was very upsetting for Lukashenko, as it affected revenues and GDP. He probably has said nothing to Putin, can't say no to anything," Bulba explains.

The Belarusian public figure recalled that the Great Seven recommended China to put pressure on Putin after all.

"Probably after talking to Lukashenko, since he could not have taken this initiative on his own, the Belarusian representative of the United Nations began to speak: “don't pay attention, it's all just talk, nothing will actually happen.” Now we have information that, after all, this agreement has been signed. This causes some surprise, the impression that such a "someone" decided to go all-in," he suggests.

Bulba mentioned that there was a version that for Putin, the talk about placing nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus is an attempt to exert some informational pressure.

"On the one hand, to threaten that we will deploy nuclear weapons. At the same time, everyone expected that sanctions would play a role – and then we would not deploy them. Now, after listening to the Belarusian Minister of Defense, it is clear: they live in some kind of parallel universe of their own, because he declares the non-fulfillment of the Budapest Memorandum. But who does not fulfill the Budapest Memorandum first of all? Russia itself. Secondly, he declares that the West wants to break the Slavic unity, this is what is happening now – Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the war is ongoing. He says that the West is tearing apart Slavic unity," the expert says.

• On March 25, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said that a storage facility for Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be completed in Belarus by July 1.

• On March 31, self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said he was ready to deploy Russian strategic nuclear weapons, if necessary.

• On April 23, official sources of the Belarusian Ministry of Defense described the preparations for the deployment of various types of Russian nuclear weapons in the country.

• On May 25, the defense ministers of Russia and Belarus signed a document on the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.