Belarus hints at new doctrine for using nuclear weapons

TALLINN, Estonia — The defense minister of Belarus said Tuesday that the country will put forth a new military doctrine that for the first time provides for the use of nuclear weapons.

Russia last year sent tactical nuclear weapons to be stationed in Belarus, although there are no details about how many. Russia has said it will maintain control over those weapons, which are intended for battlefield use and have short ranges and comparatively low yields.

It was not immediately clear how the new doctrine might be applied to the Russian weapons.

“We clearly communicate Belarus’ views on the use of tactical nuclear weapons stationed on our territory,” Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said at a meeting of Belarus’ Security Council. “A new chapter has appeared, where we clearly define our allied obligations to our allies.”

The doctrine is to be presented for approval to the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, a representative body that operates in Belarus in parallel with the parliament.

Russia used Belarusian territory as a springboard to send its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and has maintained its military bases and weapons there, although Belarusian troops have not taken part in the war.

Security Council Secretary Alexander Volfovich said the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus is intended to deter aggression from Poland, a NATO member.

“Unfortunately, statements by our neighbors, in particular Poland ... forced us to strengthen” the military doctrine, he said.

爱沙尼亚塔林——白俄罗斯国防部长周二表示，该国将提出一项新的军事理论，该理论首次规定可以使用核武器。

俄罗斯去年向白俄罗斯运送了战术核武器，但具体数量不详。俄罗斯表示将对这些武器保持控制，这些武器主要用于战场，射程短，当量相对较低。

目前尚不清楚这一新理论将如何应用于俄罗斯武器。

“我们明确阐述了白俄罗斯对部署在我国领土上的战术核武器的使用立场，”白俄罗斯国防部长维克托·赫列宁在白俄罗斯安全委员会会议上表示。“新的篇章已经开启，我们将明确界定我们对盟友的盟约义务。”

该理论将提交白俄罗斯人民大会批准，白俄罗斯人民大会是与议会并行运作的白俄罗斯代表机构。

2022年2月24日，俄罗斯利用白俄罗斯领土作为跳板，向乌克兰派遣军队，并在那里维持着军事基地和武器，尽管白俄罗斯军队没有参与战争。

安理会秘书亚历山大·沃尔福维奇表示，俄罗斯在白俄罗斯部署核武器旨在阻止北约成员国波兰的侵略。

“不幸的是，邻国，特别是波兰的声明……迫使我们加强”军事理论，他说道。