Sakreta Explains Nuclear Drills to Diplomats by Referring to Neighbors’ Military Spending

Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Ihar Sakreta held a briefing for foreign diplomats. A representative of the Defense Ministry also took part in the event.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the briefing focused on the recently conducted joint Belarusian-Russian nuclear exercises. Sakreta explained their necessity by pointing to growing military expenditures by neighboring countries.

“In particular, the deputy head of the Belarusian foreign ministry stated that the joint nuclear exercises with Russia fully comply with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, are analogous to NATO’s practice of ‘joint nuclear missions’ and are exclusively defensive in nature. Information about the exercises was open and publicly available from the very beginning.

Against the backdrop of the fact that the combined military expenditures of neighboring Poland, Lithuania and Latvia already exceed Belarus’s defense spending by 25 times, while the NATO bloc is increasing its presence directly near Belarusian borders, nuclear deterrence remains a forced, proportionate and most rational measure to ensure national security, making it possible to avoid a ruinous arms race,” the statement said.

Current issues in Belarusian-European relations were also discussed.