The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus stated that placing nuclear warheads of the Russian Federation on the territory of the country without transferring control over them to Minsk does not contradict international law and pointed to a similar practice of NATO.

 The relevant comment was published by the department on March 28.

 The department stated that Belarus suffers from sanctions, pressure and gross interference in its internal affairs by Western countries. In addition, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said, neighboring NATO member states are "building up their military potential" in the immediate vicinity of the Belarusian borders.

 "Taking into account the specified circumstances and legitimate concerns and risks in the field of national security arising from them, Belarus is taking forced actions in response to strengthen its own security and defense capabilities," the ministry said.

 Minsk believes that military cooperation between Belarus and Russia is carried out "in strict accordance with international law."

 "The training of Belarusian pilots capable of flying aircraft with specific ammunition, the modernization of such aircraft, as well as the placement of nuclear warheads on the territory of Belarus without transferring control over them to Minsk, as well as access to relevant technologies, do not in any way contradict the provisions of Articles I and II of the Treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.

 In addition, the agency noted that this is not an innovation in the field of military cooperation between non-nuclear and nuclear states, pointing to NATO's practice of "joint nuclear missions."

 "More than 150 units of US tactical nuclear weapons are stored on the territory of European NATO member states, more than 250 aircraft have been prepared for their possible use," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus noted.

 It will be recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Belarus will deploy tactical nuclear weapons by July and compared his own nuclear plans with the US deployment of its weapons in Europe. He insisted that Russia would not break its nuclear non-proliferation promises.