BERLIN: Germany on Sunday condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, bringing the arms closer to the European Union (EU).
An official in the German foreign office told AFP that the announcement was “another attempt at nuclear intimidation by Russia”.
On the condition of anonymity, the source said that Germany would not allow itself to be “put off our course” by Moscow’s move.
“The comparison made by President Vladimir Putin to nuclear sharing in NATO is misleading and does not justify the Russian announcement,” the source said.
Germany says Belarus will violate its international declaration
The source said that Belarus would also violate its own international declarations to be a nuclear weapons-free zone.
Vladimir Putin justified the move on Saturday, saying: “There is nothing unusual here either. The United States (US) has been doing this for decades.
“The US has long placed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of their allies,” Putin said in an interview on Russian television. – AFP
