MINSK. May 25 (Interfax) - The safety of Russian nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus will be guaranteed, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.
"This is not even a subject for discussion. You know that we are punctual, careful, practical people. So you shouldn't worry about the nuclear weapons. We bear responsibility for this. These are serious issues. Everything will be alright in this regard too," Lukashenko said during his visit to Moscow, as quoted by his press service on Thursday.
Lukashenko revealed earlier that transportation of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus was underway.
Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu signed documents earlier on Thursday in Minsk to determine the procedures regulating the storage of Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons at a special storage depot in Belarus.
In March 2023, Putin revealed that he and Lukashenko had agreed on stationing tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. Belarus received an Iskander missile system, which can carry tactical nuclear weapons, Putin said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said later on April 26 that Belarusian military personnel had thoroughly studied how to use special tactical ordnance with the Iskander-M missile system during training sessions in Russia. According to open source data, ordnance with a nuclear warhead for the Iskander-M missile system is referred to as special tactical ammunition.
On April 14, the Russian Defense Ministry said that it had finished training Belarusian military personnel to operate the Sukhoi Su-25 assault aircraft. In the course of their training, Belarusian service members mastered new methods for using modern airborne weapons, including special ammunition, it said.
Lukashenko said earlier that if needs be, he would agree with Putin on stationing strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus as well.