Belarus keeps its nuclear promise to Putin – Lukashenko

Moscow ally modified its warplanes to deploy Russian weapons, president claims

Belarus has completed preparing some of its military aircraft for a possible deployment of Russian nuclear weapons, President Alexander Lukashenko revealed on Friday.

« Do you remember [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and I said we would modify Belarusian Su jets so that they could carry nuclear weapons. You thought we were chatting? All is done ! » he said, quoted by the national news agency Belta. The remark came as he spoke about NATO military deployments near the borders of Belarus.

Lukashenko was referring to his meeting with the Russian president in late June, during which the Belarusian leader raised concerns about Poland’s demands for the United States to deploy American tactical nuclear weapons on its soil.

The poles “train in the deployment of nuclear warheads. Could you please at least help us modify the war planes that we have… so that they can carry nuclear weapons”, he said at the time.

READ MORE: Poland makes a nuclear offer to the United States

He later estimated that the necessary modifications could be completed within a few months.

The United States has trained non-nuclear NATO members like Poland in the use of its tactical nuclear weapons for decades. Moscow has long called the drills a violation of Washington’s nonproliferation commitments, which the United States has denied.

During the meeting with Lukashenko in June, Putin offered to help upgrade Belarusian fighter jets at Russian military factories and train its pilots to ease Minsk’s concerns about NATO.

rt