Summary

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed the deployment of over a dozen Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, integrating the country’s military with Russia under the Union State treaty.

Signed by Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin, the treaty allows joint use of Russian nuclear weapons, though Moscow retains control.

Putin’s updated nuclear doctrine lowers the threshold for nuclear use, even in response to conventional attacks.

Critics, including Belarusian opposition figures, denounce the treaty as undermining Belarus’s sovereignty, while Lukashenko has also requested advanced Russian missiles, escalating tensions with NATO and neighboring countries.