China reacted to Russian President Putinʼs statement about plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, recalled that in January of last year, the leaders of the five states possessing such weapons made a joint statement, indicating that a nuclear war cannot be won.
“Wars between states that have nuclear weapons should be avoided and strategic risks should be reduced,” Nin said, adding that the issue of Russiaʼs war against Ukraine should be resolved diplomatically.
The Chinese side did not directly condemn Russia for such threats.
- On March 25, Putin announced that Russia had handed over the Iskander missile complex, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, to the Belarusian army, and plans to finish the construction of a special storage facility for nuclear warheads on Belarusian territory by July 1.
- In the USA and Germany, Putinʼs statement was called an escalation, but Washington does not yet see signs of the transfer of Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, and the High Representative of the European Union , Josep Borrell, has promised Russia sanctions for nuclear blackmail.