KYIV: Kyiv on Sunday said it was trying for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to counter Russia’s “nuclear blackmail” after President Putin announced his country would deploy tactical nuclear arms in Belarus.
The Russian president said the stationing was similar to measures from the US, which deploys such weapons in bases across Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and Turkey, an analogy western allies declared “misleading”.
With concerns of a nuclear war rising since the aggression, experts believe that any Russian attack would likely involve small battlefield weapons, called “tactical” as contrary to “strategic” high-powered, long-range nuclear weapons.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry expects effective actions to counteract the Russian nuclear blackmail from the UK, France, the US, and China.
Extraordinary session
It demanded immediately convene an extraordinary session of the UNSC for this purpose.
On Saturday, Putin announced his county would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in ally Belarus “without violating our international accords on nuclear non-proliferation”.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry accused Russia of violating its obligations and undermining the nuclear disarmament structure and the world security system.
