- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Kremlin plans to give Belarus the Iskander missile system, which is capable of firing missiles with nuclear warheads.){kind=link}
Moscow (The Times Groupe)- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Kremlin plans to give Belarus the Iskander missile system, which is capable of firing missiles with nuclear warheads.
“As we agreed with you, you raised the question about this, we have made a decision. In the coming months, we will transfer Iskander-M tactical missile systems to Belarus, which, as you know, can use both ballistic and cruise missiles, both in conventional and nuclear versions,” Putin told his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting in Saint Petersburg.
To resolve this matter, Putin suggested that the two countries’ top military and defense officials work together.
The two leaders voiced agreement, with Lukashenko noting that NATO has been carrying out training flights of nuclear-capable aircraft near his country’s borders, asking for help “to respond adequately.”
Alternatively, he requested Russian assistance to “adapt” Belarusian aircraft to respond to the threat.
The Belarusian army has a large number of Su-25 fighter jets that could be equipped as needed, according to Putin.
“They could be upgraded accordingly. This modernization should be carried out at aircraft factories in Russia, but we will agree with you when to do it and start training flight personnel accordingly,” said Putin.
According to the Russian president, the US has deployed about 200 nuclear tactical weapons in six European countries – NATO members – most of which are atomic bombs, and 257 aircraft are prepared for the use of nuclear weapons.
Lukashenko said that he fears the situation of 1941, when Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union without declaring war after signing a non-aggression pact.
“I’m not saying that tomorrow we will transport or you will transport nuclear ammunition there (to Belarus), but we can’t be light-minded, we remember 1941, when we were lulled to sleep — everything will be fine, everything is quiet, no one will attack, and then — we were not ready for it (for the attack),” he said. “Therefore, this is a very serious situation for us, and this is not the first time I have put this question before you.”
Moreover, Lukashenko referred to Lithuania’s ban on Russian goods transiting via Belarus to its semi-exclave Kaliningrad region as “close to declaring war.”
“Lithuania is the same. Recently, there has been a growing flow of information about their plan to stop transit from Russia through Belarus to Kaliningrad, isolate Kaliningrad. Listen, this is akin to declaring some kind of war already, such things are unacceptable in modern conditions,” he said.
It is necessary to be prepared to defend Russia and Belarus from border to border, Lukashenko said, taking what is happening around Russia and Belarus very seriously.
“I do not hide it, I raise the question so that we can be ready for everything, even for the use of the most serious weapons in order to protect our Fatherland from Brest to Vladivostok,” he said.
In response to concerns about a global food crisis, Putin said Russia is in contact with the UN about fertilizer deliveries.
Lukashenko was invited to unite efforts to help “traditional partners” obtain synthetic nutrients.
The Russian government will provide 50 million tons of grain to the global market this year, which is an increase from 40 million tons last year. missile system