Russia’s Foreign Ministry reminded of the nuclear shield protecting Belarus and commented on the possible delivery of the “Burevestnik” missile, despite Alyaksandr Lukashenka recently stating that he did not need such a weapon. In an interview with TASS, Aleksei Polishchuk, head of the ministry’s Second Department of CIS Countries, said Minsk is securely protected.
“The Russian nuclear shield reliably covers our Belarusian allies, and the updated legal and treaty framework makes it possible to deploy any means of defense in the brotherly Republic, including the most advanced types of weapons,” Polishchuk said.
When asked whether Belarus could receive the “Burevestnik” nuclear-powered missile, Polishchuk replied that “we are not aware of any such requests.” Lukashenka had stated just days earlier that “we don’t need the Burevestnik.”
According to the Russian state agency, Polishchuk added that if such requests were made, “they would be carefully studied by military specialists, taking into account the unique tactical and technical characteristics of this system.”
“The final decision will be made by the military and political leadership of both countries in the spirit of alliance,” the Foreign Ministry official noted.
Polishchuk emphasized that “due to the tense military-political situation on the western borders, Russia and Belarus have in recent years taken steps to strengthen the joint defense and security space of the Union State.” Military-technical cooperation is actively developing, and the regional grouping of forces is operational.
“The strategic exercise ‘Zapad-2025’ conducted in September demonstrated the Union State’s ability to repel a wide range of threats from any direction. During the 25th meeting of the Russian-Belarusian intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation, held in Minsk in October, important agreements were reached between the defense-industrial complexes,” Polishchuk added.
He also highlighted the strengthening of the legal framework, including the adoption of the Union State Security Concept and the signing of a security guarantees treaty.
“The treaty defines a list of mutual commitments for the defense and protection of the sovereignty, independence, and constitutional order of Russia and Belarus, as well as the integrity and inviolability of the Union State’s territory and external borders,” he said.
To fulfill these obligations, “all available forces and means may be used, including nuclear weapons, in accordance with the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence.”
“The treaty stipulates guarantees for the immediate provision, upon agreement between the heads of Russia and Belarus, of military, military-technical, and other assistance following an official request from a party subjected to aggression or its threat,” Polishchuk added.
He noted that at the end of September, the first meeting of the delegations of the two countries, led by special representatives, was held in Moscow to review the implementation of the treaty.
“They confirmed a shared assessment of the security situation. Against the backdrop of growing missile and nuclear threats linked to NATO’s ‘nuclear sharing’ arrangements and plans to deploy U.S. and other Western-made medium- and short-range ground-based missiles in Europe, active Russian-Belarusian cooperation in these areas was deemed justified,” he said, adding that the deployment of the “Oreshnik” system in Belarus is expected before the end of the year.