Official Kyiv demanded that the leadership of the United Nations must convene an emergency meeting of the structure in connection with Russia’s intention to place elements of nuclear weapons on the territory of the Republic of Belarus. In the international politico this requirement has caused ambiguous forecasts.
The possibility of deploying the so-called «limited item» of missiles with a nuclear charge on the territory of Belarus was discussed by the Kremlin even before the actual invasion of Ukraine. Then Russian President Vladimir Putin called on his Belarusian counterpart to approve a plan to create several appropriate military bases in the immediate vicinity of the Ukrainian borders. Aleksandr Lukashenko allegedly promised to think over this proposal, but as a result, the consideration of this issue by Minsk was postponed indefinitely. Today, Moscow has resumed active consultations on this topic with its main regional ally.
What is the essence of Ukraine’s demand to the UN? Representatives of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted that the presence of Russian tactical nuclear missiles in the Republic of Belarus poses a potential threat to all of Europe. In addition, the creation of such bases in itself violates the main provisions of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
This opinion has already been shared by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell. According to him, now Belarus «still can and must stop the process of escalation of the tension». «Otherwise, the European Union will introduce additional sanctions against Minsk and Moscow», – he said.
The date of the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council is not yet known. It is not known whether this event will be held at all. The thing is that the main participants in the Security Council of the Organization are Russia and China. «The fact is that Moscow and Beijing, as strategic partners, can use their veto right and virtually nullify any discussion of this issue», summed up American political observer William Connolly in a commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. – Thus, international diplomacy will need a lot of additional efforts in order to dissuade Moscow and Minsk from the «nuclear deal».
Be that as it may, the next negotiations between the Russian Federation and Belarus on the “nuclear topic” will be held on April 1 this year.
