Lukashenko regrets Belarus lost nuclear weapons after Soviet Union's collapse

Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, has branded the decision to withdraw strategic nuclear weapons from the country after the collapse of the Soviet Union a mistake.

Source: Belarusian regime-aligned news outlet BetTA; Belaruski Hajun, an independent Belarusian military monitoring media outlet

Quote from Lukashenko: "If I were to make a decision at that time, we would never have withdrawn strategic nuclear weapons from the territory of Belarus. It was the most powerful arsenal. But it was decided before me at the request of the Americans."

Details: Lukashenko claimed that at his request, Russian tactical nuclear weapons had been deployed in Belarus.

He further noted that Belarus does not need strategic nuclear weapons, though tactical ones are essential.

However, the monitoring group Belaruski Hajun reported that there are currently no signs of nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Quote from Belaruski Hajun: "At the moment, as before, there is no real confirmation of his [Lukashenko's] claims. For the entire period of monitoring, we have not observed any evidence that would confirm the presence of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus".

Background: 

• On 24 April 2024, Lukashenko said that the use of Russian nuclear weapons on the territory of the country was a matter for him and Putin to decide personally.
• On 25 May 2023, the defence ministers of Russia and Belarus signed documents on the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory.
• On 27 June 2023, Lukashenko instructed senior officials to develop an "algorithm for the use" of nuclear weapons supposedly deployed by Russia.

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