Minsk. December 18. INTERFAX-WEST - Belarus is ready to host nuclear weapons under threat from NATO, Foreign Minister of the Republic Vladimir Makei said in an interview with RT Arabic.
"What President Alexander Lukashenko said that we are considering the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus is one of the possible responses to future possible actions by the North Atlantic Alliance on the territory of Poland," the BelTA state agency quoted Makei as saying on Saturday.
The Belarusian Foreign Minister, in particular, noted the buildup of NATO forces in Ukraine.
"We see that the number of US and NATO troops stationed on the territory of Ukraine is increasing," the minister said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in early December that statements by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko about the possibility of deploying Russian nuclear weapons could be regarded as a warning to the West.
"I would take this statement as a very serious warning, which is dictated primarily by the reckless policy pursued by the West," he said on December 1 at the government hour in the Federation Council. According to him, in particular, when a new coalition was being formed in Germany, some people demanded the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from German territory, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke about the possibility of moving nuclear weapons to the east. "What else do we need to explain to our Western colleagues to stop this kind of recklessness? I think Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko reacted precisely to these visits," Lavrov said.
