Russia wants to place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Putin said this in an interview with Russian state television. According to defense analyst Patrick Bolder of the Center for Strategic Studies in The Hague, this is the only way Putin can still exert pressure on the West.
Bolder notes that there are small cracks in the Western bloc – he specifically mentions Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán – and that Putin is using “his crowbar” to sideline Europe. The deployment of nuclear weapons should be seen in this light. “The only thing that still scares us, or so he thinks, is the nuclear threat.”
‘The only thing that scares us, or so he thinks, is that nuclear threat’
Even last week, when the ICC found Putin guilty of war crimes and indicted him, Medvedev threatened to send hypersonic missiles to the ICC. When Berlin threatened to arrest Putin upon arrival in Germany, Medvedev called Berlin a nuclear target. The nuclear hostage-taking of Belarus, as Kiev calls it, fits into this pattern of threats.
Delivery man
According to Bolder, President Lukashenko of Belarus has no choice but to accept that position. Lukashenko has become Putin’s errand boy. Verbally, but he knows how to play it so that his own troops don’t get sucked into the war. Bolder thinks Lukashenko is walking a tightrope after “winning” the 2020 election with 97% of the vote and then facing a popular uprising.
Lukashenko has become Putin’s errand boy
He was only able to put down that uprising with the help of Russian troops, he has been in the Kremlin’s leash ever since. He knows his position is shaky. If he leans too much towards Putin, he’ll have problems indoors. And if he listens too much to the noises of his house, he will have to resign and then it will be nothing ».
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Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
