Russia Sign Agreement with Belarus for Nuclear Weapons Storage

Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu and his Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin have signed an agreement defining the procedures for storing Russian nuclear weapons at a special storage facility on Belarusian territory.

"During the meeting (between the defense ministers), documents determining the procedure for keeping Russian non-strategic nuclear weapons in a special storage facility on the territory of the Republic of Belarus were signed," the ministry's press service confirmed today.

Shoigu said measures taken by Russia and Belarus comply with all existing international legal obligations.

The defense ministers discussed the current military and political situation and issues of military and technical cooperation between the two countries’ defense ministries.

On March 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that, at Minsk’s request, Moscow would deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, similar to what the U.S. has long been doing on the territory of its allies. As the Russian leader indicated, the construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons will be completed in Belarus by July 1.

Moscow has already provided Minsk with Iskander tactical missile systems capable of carrying nuclear weapons and has helped Minsk to re-equip its military aircraft to carry specialized weapons. As well, Belarusian missile crews and pilots have undergone training in Russia.