Russian President Vladimir Putin will chair a meeting with members of the Security Council via a telephone conference in Moscow on June 22, 2022.
Mikhail Metzell | AFP | Getty Images
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said in a video conference with Belarus’s President Alexander Lukaschenko that Russia would supply Belarus with the Iskandar M missile system within a few months.
At a conference in St. Petersburg, Lukaschenko told Putin that Belarus was concerned about the “aggressive,” “opposed” and “repulsive” policies of neighboring Lithuania and Poland.
He asked Putin to help Belarus initiate a “symmetrical response” to what he said was a US-led NATO alliance nuclear-armed flight near the Belarus border.
“Minsk needs to be prepared for anything, even the use of serious weapons to protect its homeland from Brest to Vladivostok,” he said, putting Belarus and its close ally Russia under one umbrella. placed.
In particular, he sought help in making Belarusian military aircraft nuclear-ready.
Putin believes there is no need for a symmetrical response at this time, but said the Belarusian Russian Su-25 jet could be upgraded at a Russian factory if needed.
However, he promised to supply the Iskander-M, a mobile guided missile system codenamed “SS-26 Stone” by NATO, which replaced the Soviet “Scud”. The two guided missiles have a range of up to 500 km (300 miles) and can carry conventional or nuclear warheads.
Tensions between Russia and the West have increased since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine four months ago, and NATO plans to recognize Ukraine and use it as a platform to threaten Russia. Insist.
Russia’s move not only triggered a barrage of Western sanctions, but also urged Sweden and Finland, north of Russia, to apply for participation in the Western Union.
Last week, in particular, Lithuania infuriated Russia by blocking the transportation of goods subject to European sanctions traveling from Russia to Kaliningrad in the Baltic Sea of Russia via Belarus.
Russia calls this a “blockade,” but Lithuania states that it affects only 1% of normal freight transport on the route and does not affect passenger traffic.
Disclosure: This content was created in Russia and the law limits the scope of Russian military operations in Ukraine.
