Exchange of missiles, generals for Belarus – and the first foreign voyage since the beginning of the war
What do Putin’s new war results mean?
Moscow wants to supply nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to Belarus and deploy new generals. It is not clear whether that will change the war dynamics.
Posted: 38 minutes ago
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Updated: 35 minutes ago
The announcement is explosive: Russia wants to deploy Iskander-type ground missiles to Belarus – which could be equipped with nuclear-capable missiles. Vladimir Putin (69) promised Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko (67) at a meeting in St. Petersburg on Saturday.
Putin boasted that Iskander-M could “carry both ballistic missiles and ship missiles – both conventional and nuclear.” According to Russian media, they can go up to 500 kilometers. According to Putin, Belarus’ Su-25 fighter jets are also being refurbished. “This modernization must be done in the aerospace industry in Russia.” Then these planes can carry nuclear weapons as well.
Russia opened fire on Sunday for the first time in three weeks Missiles in Kiev. And from Belarus. Is he now arming his loyal neighbor with nuclear weapons?
The Western peak marathon against Putin
That would be a new expansion point. Like Ukraine, Belarus gave up nuclear weapons with the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. In response, NATO guaranteed that none of the new member states in Eastern and Central Europe would suspend nuclear weapons. If Putin gives arms to Belarus, this agreement will not be valid. In addition, it is not clear whether Belarus can still stockpile enough nuclear missiles. UN nuclear weapons expert Pavel Botwick writes on Twitter that he sees the potential for weapons to be kept “almost zero” in Belarus.
Instead, Putin could carry nuclear weapons near the border. With the Ukraine-centric summit marathon currently underway, the possibility is only a stark signal to Europe. Following the EU Council summit, Ukraine was announced as a candidate for accession, and the G7 summit began over the weekend in Germany. This is followed by the NATO summit in Madrid and the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference in Lugano.
Putin exchanged generals and traveled to Tajikistan
In the eyes of the broader international front, Putin openly wants to change the dynamics of war. Putin’s two other decisions speak for themselves. Apparently, less than two months later, he fired General Alexander Tvarnikov (60), the last person in charge of Ukraine. Besides Belarus, Putin has been strengthening ties with other neighbors. His first foreign trip since the start of the war is scheduled to take him to Tajikistan on Tuesday. He is scheduled to attend the Central Asian Summit in Turkmenistan on Wednesday.
This is not a home game for Putin. Kazakhstan, for example, has refused to recognize the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. And Volodymyr Zelensky (44)’s video talk will make Putin’s neighbor think. In the wake of the rocket attacks and Putin’s promise to Lukashenko, the Ukrainian president on Sunday evening called on the Belarusians not to be dragged into the Russian war of aggression. According to Putin, these are “slaves and cannon fodder” anyway.
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