Brussels, (EFE).- The European Union (EU) assured this Monday that it was “prepared for all scenarios” after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
“As we already said before the start of Russia’s aggression (against Ukraine), we are prepared for all scenarios and we review that preparation as we see the conflict develop and the aggression escalate,” said community spokesman for Foreign Affairs Peter Stano, during the daily press conference of the European Commission.
Stano asked not to go to that point at this time, but stressed that it is “very important to reject that announcement” and also “to see what the Belarusian side, the regime of (the country’s president, Alexandr) Lukashenko, which has already He is complicit in this aggression.”
In any case, if Putin’s announcement is fulfilled, “it would be an escalation,” said the spokesman, who added that “it would endanger European security and would not go unanswered by the Member States.”
Asked about upcoming community sanctions against Belarus, Stano recalled that the processing of restrictive measures is carried out confidentially in the EU.
On Sunday, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that Belarus can still “stop” the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons on its agreed territory with Moscow, and that it is a “choice” by Minsk. .
“For Belarus to harbor Russian nuclear weapons would mean an irresponsible escalation and a threat to European security. Belarus can still stop him, it’s their choice,” Borrell wrote on his Twitter social network profile.
He added that the EU is “ready to respond with further sanctions.”
Putin announced this Saturday an agreement with Belarus for the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in that country’s territory.
“There is nothing extraordinary here. First, the US has been doing it for decades. It placed its tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of its allied countries, the NATO countries, in Europe a long time ago. If my memory serves me correctly, in six countries: Germany, Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Greece, ”he assured in statements to public television.
Putin stressed that this agreement does not violate Russia’s obligations on nuclear non-proliferation and announced that on April 3 the training of the Belarusian military will begin and on July 1 the construction of a silo to place said weapons in the neighboring country will have been completed.
