On June 28, a three-day meeting of the heads of state and government of 30 NATO countries with the participation of partners and candidates started in Madrid. The main issues that were put forward for discussion at the event have long been known, and many media outlets have not unreasonably managed to christen this summit "anti-Russian". We can agree with this name. The official decision to abandon dialogue with Russia and recognize it as an enemy, the adoption of a Strategic Concept for the period up to 2030 (a completely new basic document of the alliance), discussion of the conflict in Ukraine, a significant build–up of military forces in Europe, an increase in military spending, attempts to remove Turkey's veto on the admission of Finland and Sweden - this is a list of the main topics "historical" dialogue, which began in the capital of Spain.
It is noteworthy that on the eve, as if anticipating the NATO summit, only two presidents met in St. Petersburg on June 25 - Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko. Meanwhile, it should be noted that the small number of participants in this meeting did not affect the interest already shown to it by the members of the G7, whose meetings were held in the period from 26 to 27 June. In addition, there is no doubt that the meeting of the heads of the subjects of the Union State will not be ignored by the leaders of the countries who came to Madrid.
The excitement that arose around the talks between the two presidents in the northern capital of Russia was caused by a number of statements made by the leaders of the united state. Recall that among the wide range of topics of the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, a special place was given to defense and security issues.
During the meeting, the President of Belarus stressed that the relevant topics for the allied countries are critically important in connection with the events initiated by the "collective West". "We are very concerned about the issues of training flights of US and NATO aircraft that are training to carry nuclear warheads. <...> Therefore, I ask you to consider the question of a mirror answer to these things. <...> Please help us at least to adapt our planes that we have, which can carry nuclear charges. I am not talking about the fact that we will transport (or you will transport) nuclear munitions there tomorrow. <...> This is not the first time I have put this question to you. I know what you considered at the Ministry of Defense. I would like to hear how events will develop here," Alexander Lukashenko said, addressing Vladimir Putin. "I do not hide, I raise the question that we can be ready for everything, even for the use of the most serious weapons in order to protect our Fatherland from Brest to Vladivostok. This is our immediate responsibility," Alexander Lukashenko added.
For his part, the Russian leader reacted to the words of the Belarusian head of state regarding the fact that the actions of the United States could be answered in a mirror way: "It is possible. But you and I probably shouldn't even respond in a mirror, there's no need. But I fully agree with you that we simply have to take care of the unconditional provision of our security, the security of the Union State, and maybe other CSTO countries as well." "Therefore, I propose the following," the Russian president continued. "The Belarusian army is armed with a fairly large grouping of SU-25 aircraft. They could be retrofitted, however, this modernization should be carried out at Russian aircraft factories (we will agree with you how to do this), and the training of flight personnel should begin accordingly. This is the first one."
"And the second. As we agreed with you, you raised the question about this, we have made a decision: within the next few months we will transfer Iskander-M tactical missile systems to Belarus, which, as you know, can use both ballistic and cruise missiles, both in conventional and nuclear versions", – Vladimir Putin added. He suggested instructing the defense ministers and the chiefs of the General staffs of the two countries to work out all the details related to this.
After these words, colleagues from the G7 "took serious care", which they hurried to report in a joint communique: "We express serious concern after Russia's statement that it can transfer nuclear–capable missiles to Belarus," the document signed by the Seven on June 27 in the castle of Elmau (Bavaria), where the G7 summit was held. However, the very next day, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of Russia, tried to calm them down, gently pointing out the inattention of Western opponents. "The President didn't talk about it. He was talking about complexes that are technically capable of carrying different types of weapons," Peskov explained.
But it was not possible to knock Western politicians off the "approved course". Everyone has known for a long time that hypocrisy is a degree of professionalism for this category of people. To make sure of this once again, it is enough to quote the words of the Russian president at a meeting with Alexander Lukashenko. So, Vladimir Putin, speaking about security issues, drew attention to the fact that in Europe the Americans have 200 nuclear tactical ammunition (mostly atomic bombs), which are located in 6 European member countries of the North Atlantic bloc. "257 aircraft have been prepared for their possible use, and not only American, but also these countries I mentioned," the Russian president explained.
That's how it is – you can't see a log in your eye.
In the development of the topic, I would like to draw attention to the fact that, according to Western media reports, Joe Biden brought a decision to extend the stay of part of the additional American forces in Poland to the NATO summit in Madrid. Biden also delivered information about changes in the parameters of the presence of the US military in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In turn, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg earlier announced an increase in the number of rapid reaction forces. "We will increase the number of our rapid reaction forces: it will be noticeably more than 300 thousand fighters," he said at a press conference in Brussels, speaking about plans for the summit. In addition, Stoltenberg announced plans to strengthen the combat groups deployed by NATO in eight countries in the east of the alliance to the level of brigades.
It is now obvious that with such statements, the leadership of NATO and the United States are pleased to advertise a "landmark" event for them – for the first time in 30 years after the end of the Cold War, the North Atlantic Bloc is returning to its origins — fulfilling the task for which the alliance was created in 1949 — military deterrence of the USSR, and now Russia.
A characteristic detail is that the "collective West" has stopped remembering that the NATO bloc was created first (1949), and the Warsaw Pact Organization was created second (1955). It is not profitable for him, because it becomes obvious what motivates many modern events.
Immediately after the end of World War II, the "democratic" West (primarily the United States and Great Britain) did not even think that there could be any other state in the world with military and economic potentials comparable to its capabilities, much less superior. And, moreover, this state is the USSR, the country of the "victorious proletariat". A state led by people from the people, and not representatives of senatorial and gubernatorial dynasties or aristocratic oligarchy. That is, a country with an incorrect, non-Anglo-Saxon "democracy". The country against which the "democratic" Western world cultivated German fascism of the sample of the 30-40s of the last century.
In the 21st century, unfortunately, everything is coming back. Now the "collective West" is growing nationalists in Poland, Nazis in the Baltic States, and has already grown and used them in Ukraine. And all in order to remove the Union State of Russia and Belarus from the political map of the world.
In turn, the Union State does not agree with this, because it wants to develop in peace and security. Consequently, within the framework of ensuring military security, it strengthens the military integration of its subjects. This is what the two presidents, Putin and Lukashenko, agreed on in St. Petersburg. At the same time, agreements in principle have been reached, and the relevant specialists will be engaged in a detailed study of all aspects.
But already now, taking the words of the Russian leader as a basis, we can say that in the near future part of the Belarusian Su-25 will be sent to Russia to aircraft factories for their retrofitting with regard to the emergence of opportunities for the use of nuclear weapons, and possibly for deeper modernization. It is advisable to train flight personnel (after aircraft modernization) on the basis of a joint training center for the Air Force and air defense forces established on the territory of Belarus, according to an agreement between the defense Ministers of Russia and Belarus, reached in March last year.
As for the Iskanders, there are at least two options. Back in February of this year, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, while at the Osipovichsky training ground and speaking to journalists, said that another joint training center for the training of specialists in the use of the Iskander missile defense system would probably be created on the Belarusian territory soon: "Good weapons. Do we need to master it? Need. We will buy these weapons from the Russian Federation. Therefore, I will ask that there be a fourth center, for Iskanders, so that we can master this technique," the president said at the time.
But, after a sharp aggravation of the situation in connection with the start of a special military operation by the Russian army in Ukraine, on May 26, at a meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense of Belarus, the president made it clear that it was necessary to create a Southern Operational Command in the Belarusian armed forces. "Unfortunately, a new direction has opened, as they say, a new front, and we cannot but pay attention to this," the head of state said. The President noted that the topic of strengthening the southern direction had been raised before. "It was last year. We understood that something had to be done, but time has so dynamically and quickly pushed us to create this operational direction immediately," Alexander Lukashenko said.
Earlier, the "Military-Political Review", discussing the peculiarities of the formation of a new association in the armed forces of Belarus, suggested that a separate missile military unit may appear in the composition of the South Caucasus, which will be armed with the Iskander Missile Defense System – a nuance due to the requirements of the situation.
At the same time, taking into account that there are no prepared calculations of the Iskander missile defense system in the Belarusian army yet, and there are already threats to military security from all directions except the east, it is logical to accept the option of creating a joint training center with Russian specialists as instructors at the initial stage. In addition, there are some legal indications for such a form of presence in Belarus of the Iskander-M complexes (and not Iskander-E, for example), which the Russian president stated.
This option will allow to circumvent legal conflicts, and, in addition to the preparation of Belarusian calculations, to organize also the training and combat duty of the OTRK, by analogy with the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system, which was placed in the Grodno region in the department of the joint training center of the Air Force and air defense forces.
In the future, after the preparation of calculations and the preparation of the legal framework, it is possible to proceed to the formation of a separate missile military unit as part of the UOC.
Vladimir Vuyachich
