Russian President Vladimir Putin has received criticism for his dangerous rhetoric after announcing that Moscow plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Reuters writes.
On Saturday, the 25th of March, Putin compared the deployment of Russian weapons in Belarus to the deployment of US weapons in Europe and insisted that his actions do not violate any agreements. While Moscow’s move is not surprising, it is the clearest threat yet to NATO over aid to Ukraine.
NATO representative Oana Lungescu said on Sunday, the 26th of March, that Putin’s rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible. She added that Putin’s remarks about the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the presence of US weapons in Europe were out of line:
«Russia’s reference to NATO’s nuclear sharing is totally misleading. NATO allies act with full respect for their international commitments.
Russia has consistently broken its arms control commitments.»
Oleksiy Danilov, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, stated that Russia’s plan will destabilize Belarus, which has already become Moscow’s «hostage». Others also joined in the condemnation. Lithuania has decided to request new sanctions against Moscow and Minsk, while the European Union policy chief Josep Borrell called on Belarus to prevent the deployment of nuclear weapons and threatened other sanctions.
Meanwhile, fighting continues on the battlefield.
Avdiivka, located about 90 kilometers southwest of Bakhmut, has been almost completely destroyed by Russian shelling.
Vitaliy Barabash, head of the city’s military administration, said that Avdiivka, unfortunately, is increasingly resembling a scene from movies about the post-apocalyptic world. The army has warned that Avdiivka could become another Bakhmut.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on the 26th of March that its forces had carried out strikes on military targets in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson and that Ukrainians had suffered significant losses. The minister also informed that a Ukrainian drone was shot down south of Moscow on Sunday.
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