Russia Swats Away Belarus Ceasefire Bid In Ukraine

Russia has promptly scrubbed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s recent statement that supports peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia “as soon as possible” and offered to help mediate negotiations, Ukraine Daily reported.

Photo Insert: Lukashenko also said Russia could place strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus “if necessary.”

On the same day, Robert Wood, a US representative at the UN, said Russia’s plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus would go against a Russia-Chinese joint statement released on March 21 calling for an end to all steps that contribute to "the escalation of tension."

Lukashenko said Russia could place strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus “if necessary,” echoing the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin to do so since “Russia is threatened” by the US, NATO, and Ukraine and could barely control the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) that unites former Soviet republics.

The US statement came after Russia named the US as the main security threat in its new foreign policy doctrine.

On Mar. 31, Putin signed a decree on a new version of the Russian Foreign Policy Concept, listing the US as the main security threat to Russia and "the just development of mankind," CNN reported.

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