Ukraine calls for an urgent session of the Security Council before the Russian nuclear deployment in Belarus

NATO will not take any response measures for now but accuses Putin of distorting the reality of non-proliferation treaties

MADRID, 26 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has formally requested this Sunday the convening of an extraordinary session of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the announcement made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

"The latest announcement by the Russian Federation about the intention to deploy tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus is another provocative step by the criminal Putin regime, which undermines the principles of the nuclear non-proliferation treaties, the disarmament architecture on nuclear weapons and international security systems in general", the Ministry has made known.

Putin announced the deployment in response to the British announcement to supply depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine; a decision that in his opinion and against the opinion of kyiv, does not violate the nuclear control agreements signed by Russia. The Russian president hopes that the construction of the facilities for the storage of tactical nuclear weapons will be completed by July 1. These weapons will remain under Russian control.

However, given the seriousness of the announcement, Ukraine has called for immediate international response measures. "Ukraine expects effective action from the United Kingdom, China, the United States and France against Russia's nuclear blackmail," the Ministry has requested, "and therefore we request the immediate meeting of the UN Security Council for this purpose."

Similarly, the Foreign Ministry has asked the G7 and the European Union to warn the Belarusian authorities about the "far-reaching consequences" that the Minsk government would face "if it agrees to accept tactical nuclear weapons from Russia in his territory".

"Ukraine calls on all members of the world community to demonstrate to the criminal Putin regime that its nuclear provocations are categorically unacceptable and to take decisive action to effectively deter and prevent any possibility of the aggressor state's use of nuclear weapons." , adds the message, published on the Ministry's website.

In its first response to Putin's announcement, NATO has limited itself to declaring that it remains "vigilant" without taking additional measures for the moment, but it did want to stress that the Russian president is distorting the reality of non-proliferation agreements by ensuring that You are not committing any violation of them.

"Russia's reference to NATO nuclear exchanges is completely misleading. NATO allies act in full respect of their international commitments," according to a spokeswoman for the Atlantic Alliance in statements to DPA, in which she has singled out at Putin for his "irresponsible and dangerous" nuclear rhetoric.

The spokeswoman accused Russia of consistently failing to meet its arms control commitments, noting that it has recently suspended its participation in the New START Treaty.

For the rest, "we have not seen any change in Russia's nuclear posture that would lead us to adjust ours," added the spokeswoman, who reiterated NATO's commitment to "protect all its allies."