Ukraine is asking the United Nations to hold an emergency session following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threat to plant nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus.
Putin announced the decision on Sunday, presenting it as a warning to Western countries. The Ukrainian government has called on the UN to counter Russia’s “nuclear blackmail”, arguing that Putin has made Belarus its “nuclear hostage”.
Putin said construction of the weapons storage facilities in Russia’s ally country, which borders Ukraine and three NATO countries – Latvia, Lithuania and Poland – would be completed by early July.
Putin argued that Russia only adopted the policies of the United States and other Western countries with the deployment.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. (Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.)
Ukraine has called for an emergency UN meeting in response to Putin’s announcement. (AP Photo/LIBKOS, File)
“We’re doing what they’ve been doing for decades, stationing them in some allied countries, preparing launch pads and training their crews,” Putin told state television, according to the Associated Press. .
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The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has urged members of the UN Security Council to act against Putin.
“Ukraine expects effective action to counter nuclear blackmail of the Kremlin by the UK, China, the US and France,” the statement said. “The world must be united against someone who endangers the future of human civilization. »
The move comes just days after Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his trip to Moscow last week. Xi and Putin called each other “dear friends” throughout the visit, although China maintains that it is neutral in the conflict with Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping called each other “dear friends” during their talks in Moscow. (Mikhail Tereshchenko/Spoutnik/Kremlin Pool Photo)
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Putin’s move is just the latest of his nuclear escalations. He also announced his intention to suspend Russia’s participation in an arms treaty with the United States last month.
“The Western elites do not hide their objective. But they also cannot fail to realize that it is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield,” Putin said as he withdrew from the treaty.
Fox News Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
