OREANDA-NEWS The Presidents of Belarus and Russia, Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin, will hold discussions in Minsk regarding upcoming exercises testing the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons. This was confirmed by Dmitry Krutoy, the Belarusian Ambassador to Moscow, in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Krutoy stated that the topic of the exercise with tactical nuclear weapons would undoubtedly be discussed during the meeting between the two leaders. He explained that this is a response to "relevant initiatives" from the United States and other Western countries.Earlier, the Ministry of Defense reported that on behalf of the President, the General Staff of the Armed Forces has begun preparations for conducting future exercises with missile formations from the Southern Military District, involving aviation and the navy. The preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons will also be practiced during these exercises.

The exercise aims, among other things, to unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian Federation, in response to provocative statements and threats from certain Western officials.

According to Putin, the exercises will take place in three stages. During the second stage, which involves testing the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, Belarus will join Russia. The relevant instructions have been given to both the Ministries of Defense and the general staffs of the two countries.