Putin will sign a deal providing Belarus, an ally, with security guarantees from Russia.

 In order to sign a deal providing security assurances to Moscow's closest friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to Belarus.

December 6, 2024

Abcnews24.com

Moscow -- In order to sign a contract providing security assurances to Moscow's closest friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Belarus on Friday.

In the midst of tensions between Moscow and the West over the Ukrainian war, a revised version of Russia's nuclear doctrine was published, placing Belarus within the Russian nuclear umbrella for the first time. The document is scheduled to be signed.

Putin stressed that the new pact contains the possibility of using Russian tactical nuclear weapons sent to Belarus in the event of an attack, while speaking with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

In his remarks, Putin stated, "I am confident that the treaty will guarantee the security of Belarus and Russia."

Following U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to employ American-supplied longer-range missiles to strike targets within Russian territory, Putin last month officially lowered the bar for Russia to use its nuclear weapons with the revised strategy.

Moscow may use nuclear weapons "in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction" against Russia or its allies, according to the doctrine. It may also use conventional weapons "in the event of aggression" against Russia and Belarus that endangers "their sovereignty and/or territorial integrity."

In February 2022, Lukashenko, who has controlled Belarus for over 30 years and has depended on Russian assistance and subsidies, gave Russia permission to use his country's territory to send troops into Ukraine and to place some of its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Abcnews24.com