Russian nuclear arms in Belarus a ‘dangerous escalation’, says Geneva NGO group

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service

Russia’s plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus represent an “extremely dangerous escalation”, says the Geneva-based International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

This increases the likelihood that such weapons will be used, the Nobel Prize-winning organisation said on SaturdayExternal link.  In the context of the Ukraine war, it “complicates decision making and increases the risk of miscalculation, miscommunication and potentially catastrophic accidents”.

ICAN is a coalition of NGOs in more 100 countries promoting adherence to and implementation of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) adopted in New York in July 2017. ICAN won the Nobel Peace Prize the same year.

The TPNW prohibits states from allowing foreign nuclear weapons on their territory, ICAN points out. The treaty has so far been signed by 92 states, which do no not include Russia and Belarus. States with US nuclear bases – Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey – have also not agreed. Switzerland has not acceded to the treaty but says it is reviewing its position.