March 31, 2023 – Russia-Ukraine news

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russia’s plans to position nuclear weapons in Belarus is proof of a failed meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Zelensky has claimed that China had appeared to position itself as a peace broker between the two countries in recent weeks, but the meeting between the two leaders did not yield any meaningful breakthroughs on resolving their conflict. Putin announced last week that Moscow will construct a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by the start of July, a move that would also enable Russia to station strategic nuclear weapons in that country.

Whilst there is no guarantee that Putin will follow through on his plans, any nuclear signalling is likely to be cause for concern in the West. Zelensky, NATO and the European Union’s top diplomat have all condemned the plans, although the US has downplayed the move, stating that there are no indications Russia will use nuclear weapons. China has positioned itself in a neutral stance since Putin’s announcement. Zelensky claimed that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has “lost any importance” and “does not decide anything about what kind of weapons are based in his country.”

The announcement comes as Putin faces mounting problems elsewhere, including opposition to his proposed constitutional reforms and the spread of the coronavirus in Russia. Since the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in 2014, Ukraine has accused Russia of aggression and interference in its sovereign affairs. The annexation of Crimea by Russia prompted the US and the European Union to impose economic sanctions on Russia, with other countries following suit. Despite attempts to resolve the conflict, diplomatic talks have so far not succeeded in ending the hostilities.



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