[Lauren Taylor]
RUSSIA’S RELATIONSHIP WITH BELARUS BECOMES EVEN STRONGER AS THE TWO COUNTRIES SIGN A TREATY.
LAST WEEK’S PACT SOLIDIFIED RUSSIA’S CLOSEST ALLY TO ROLL OUT NEW FACILITIES TO HOUSE **POWERFUL WEAPONS FOR MOSCOW.
THE EUROPEAN COUNTRY BORDERS RUSSIA…SERVING AS A KEY LOCATION FOR THE KREMLIN AS THE WAR RAGES ON JUST PAST BELARUS’ BORDER IN UKRAINE.
BY SIGNING THE DOTTED LINE…RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN GIVES BELARUS ACCESS TO ITS NUCLEAR POWER. **INCLUDING ITS NEWEST HYPERSONIC BALLISTIC MISSILE.
THE DOCTRINE SAYS IF RUSSIA OR ONE OF ITS ALLIES SOVEREIGNTY IS THREATENED…NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAN BE USED FOR PROTECTION.
THE TIMING COMES AS TENSIONS MOUNT DUE TO WESTERN COUNTRIES SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE AND RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA SOUR.
BELARUS PRESIDENT ALEXANDAR LUKASHENKO SAID “I have warned all my enemies, ‘friends’ and adversaries: If you step on the border, the answer will be momentary. ”
THE NEW AGREEMENT COMES WITH A PUBLIC REQUEST FROM LUKASHENKO, ASKING PUTIN TO DEPLOY ‘THE ORESHNIK,’ A HIGH POWERED MISSILE RUSSIA USED AGAINST UKRAINE–TO QUOTE “CALM SOME HEADS.”
THE ORESHNIK CAN MOVE AT 10 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND…PLUNGING A TARGET WITHOUT BEING DETECTED BY DEFENSE SYSTEMS.
PUTIN SAYS THESE MISSILES COULD REACH BELARUS DURING THE SECOND HALF OF NEXT YEAR…ALLOWING THE COUNTRY TO CHOOSE THE TARGETS… BUT NOT TAKE COMMAND OVER NUCLEAR POWER.
PUTIN MAINTAINS MOSCOW HAS CONTROL OF THESE WEAPONS BEING DEPLOYED TO THEIR ALLY…BUT THE BELARUS’ SECURITY COUNCIL SAID ITS UP TO THEIR PRESIDENT FOR APPROVAL.
BELARUS’ OPPOSITION LEADER CRITICIZES THE PACT, STATING IT STRENGTHENS RUSSIA’S CONTROL. IN A POST ON X SHE SAID :“The deployment of new weapons and using Belarus as a pawn in his imperial ambitions threatens us all.”
PREVIOUSLY LUKASHENKO ALLOWED RUSSIA TO USE HIS COUNTRY AS A WAY TO SEND TROOPS INTO UKRAINE.
HE ALSO SAID BELARUS ALREADY HOLDS DOZENS OF TACTICAL WEAPONS AND THE WEST DIDN’T EVEN NOTICE THEY WERE THERE.
FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M LAUREN TAYLOR.