Putin's decision to place nukes in Belarus breaches multiple non-proliferation agreements - ex-PM

Putin’s decision to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus violates multiple international agreements on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons - from contractual obligations and decisions of the UN Security Council to the notorious Budapest Memorandum.

That's according to Arseniy Yatsenyuk, head of the Kyiv Security Forum, former Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014-2016), Ukrinform reports, referring to the KSF press service.

“Putin cynically announced his next crime immediately after the joint statement of the heads of Russia and China on the prevention of the deployment of nuclear weapons to other states. Both actors call each other friends. Both agreed to protect this undying friendship,” Yatsenyuk wrote.

“Did China's leader Xi know about the intentions of his friend Putin? Does this decision have the blessing of China and thus nullify all of Xi’s declarative peace initiatives? If the leader of China did not know about Putin’s intentions, how does he now assess his friendship with the war criminal who never keeps his word and is ready to backstab China at any moment?” head of the KSF said.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk called Putin's decision to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus “a slap in the face of both Beijing's peace declarations and the efforts of the international community to stop Russian aggression.”

“Ukraine expects China, as well as the entire civilized world, to condemn such actions,” he stated: “The danger from Russia's actions is growing. Putin's nuclear aggression has reached a new level. All those who remain silent will bear their responsibility for a possible nuclear catastrophe.”

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on March 25, Vladimir Putin said in an interview on Russian TV that the country intended to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. The decision, he said, was approved after the United Kingdom pledged to deliver to Ukraine a batch of artillery munitions containing depleted uranium. These rounds are not considered nuclear weapons. The White House said the intentions of Vladimir Putin, whom the International Criminal Court suspects of war crimes, would not influence the U.S. nuclear posture.

At the same time, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War think tank said Russia had likely had the intention to deploy nukes in Belarus even before launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.