Nuclear attack warning as Putin sidekick issues dire threat to West | World | News
Belarus’s President has warned he is ready to launch an immediate nuclear response if NATO attacks his country, echoing similar remarks by Russia, raising the prospect of an alarming escalation of already simmering tensions.
Alexander Lukashenko, arguably Vladimir Putin’s closest international ally, was commenting on reports that Moscow has altered its nuclear doctrine.
Speaking yesterday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified the recent updates to Russia‘s nuclear doctrine, as announced by Putin, serve as a warning to nations that might consider attacking Russia, even with non-nuclear weapons.
The Russian President has emphasised that any conventional strike on Russia, backed by a nuclear state, would be interpreted as a coordinated attack.
His new stance appears intended to deter Western countries from supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons and signals a reduced threshold for Russia potentially using its nuclear capabilities.
Speaking with students in Minsk in remarks attributed to him by the state-aligned Belarusian Telegraph Agency, Lukashenko said: “I said at the patriotic forum on September 17 that an attack on Belarus would be the third world war.
“Putin recently confirmed this, amending the nuclear doctrine, that an attack on Russia and Belarus would mean we would use nuclear weapons. He confirmed my words. This was the essence of my statement.”
Lukashenko emphasised: “As soon as they attack us (NATO is NATO – the Americans and Poles – they have already lined up along the border, especially the Polish one.
“We know that the Polish leadership is already rubbing its hands), we use nuclear weapons. And Russia gets involved for us.
“We will use nuclear weapons – they can respond to us. And against Russia as well.
“Therefore, Russia will use its entire arsenal. And this is already a world war.
“The West does not want this either. They are not ready for this. But we tell them frankly: the red line is the state border.
“If we step on it – the response will be immediate. We are preparing for this. I am speaking about this honestly and openly.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised Putin’s statement as “totally irresponsible,” saying on MSNBC that “many in the world have spoken clearly about that when he’s been rattling the nuclear saber, including China in the past.”
“To do that now while the world’s gathered in New York, including talking about the need for more disarmament, nonproliferation, I think that’s going to play very badly around the world,” Blinken said, referring to the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
European Commission spokesman Peter Stano similarly criticised Putin’s statements about the nuclear doctrine as “a continuation of the very irresponsible and unacceptable behaviour” by the Russian leader, showing that “he doesn’t shy away from playing the nuclear gamble over and over again.”
Russia is gradually advancing in Ukraine as the conflict enters its third year, while the Kremlin aims to deter stronger Western support for Kyiv. In response to Russian attacks, Ukraine has launched missile and drone strikes on Russian territory.
However, the Biden administration has stated that it has not authorised Kyiv to carry out such attacks using American-supplied weapons.
