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Karbalevich

• The topic of the talks between Lukashenka and Putin until 2 am was not the volume of trade between the two countries and not 28 integration programs, but the nuclear issue.

  The presence of this topic distinguished this meeting from all previous ones.

• The parties differ on who should control nuclear weapons.

  Putin says that this is a Russian weapon, that he will make a decision about its use, and Lukashenka, on the contrary, that it will be a Belarusian weapon.

• I guess they were discussing how nuclear weapons should function, who should operate them.

  And they must offer the society a single version.

Valer Karbalevich

• Lukashenka reacted relatively modestly to French President Macron's condemnation of the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus.

  Macron did this during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

• Recently, Lukashenka has been scolding Western politicians ("crazy", "despicable", "nits").

  He even called Macron a comrade and said that he was for the elimination of all nuclear weapons in general.

  This is possibly related to the information about the recent secret visit to Minsk by the head of the French military intelligence.

  So it can be assumed that some backroom contacts are taking place.

• Putin, starting the war, wanted to weaken NATO, force the Alliance to retreat.

  And as a result, as Biden said, the NATOization of Europe was achieved.

  Putin has lost this global game.

• Deploying nuclear weapons in Belarus is a game of catch-up, when it has already been largely lost.

• Lukashenka's words about Putin's "tired president" are reminiscent of what Lukashenko once said to Yeltsin: "I'm 40, he's 80."

  Yeltsin was much less than 80 then.

Naumchik

• It is absolutely clear that this will be a Russian weapon and only Putin will control this weapon.

  No other options are foreseen, neither in the technical nor in the political sense.

• The only thing that Lukashenka can count on is that Putin will call him and inform him of his decision before ordering to use this weapon.

• Some experts believe that Putin's statement about the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus was unexpected for Lukashenka.

  Therefore, it is possible that he still extorted something from the Kremlin as compensation for the blow to his reputation.

Siarhei Naumchyk

• And this is the reputation of a complete vassal, because if nuclear weapons are placed on your territory and you are not even announced, you are an absolute vassal.

• Belarus is now back on the world agenda due to the announced deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory.

  Lately, the Western press has hardly written about the incessant repressions that fall on Belarusians.

  But now it has appeared in the first pages of print.

• By advancing nuclear weapons to Belarus, the Kremlin finds itself in much more favorable conditions than NATO.

  Gryzlov said that these weapons will be brought closer to the western border of the "union state".

  That is, next to Poland.

  And the closest NATO nuclear weapon is in Germany.

• Not only Belarus, but also Lukashenko has returned to the world agenda, albeit in the status of a vassal.

  He became a figure to be reckoned with.

  When the same France urges Belarus not to deploy nuclear weapons, it does not appeal to Belarusian society (because what can society do in a concentration camp), but to Lukashenka.

• Lukashenka's words about Putin as a "tired president" are a bit of a kick in the ribs.

  Putin has been creating a macho image for himself for years.

  I think that he did not like this remark of Lukashenka.

  Good friends are not pricked like that.

• Perhaps he feels psychologically in a stronger position than Putin.

  It is not he, Lukashenka, who will lose the war, but Putin.

  The International Criminal Court issued a warrant not for Lukashenka, but for Putin.

  This does not mean that tomorrow the same warrant will not be issued for Lukashenka's arrest, but so far it has not happened.

What was before

• French President Emmanuel Macron, while in China on a visit, said that Russia should not deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, Reuters reported.

• In particular, as Reuters reports, the French president asked the leader of China, Xi Jinping, to force Russia to comply with international rules on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

• Later, the BelTA news agency reported on Alexander Lukashenko's reaction to Emmanuel Macron's statement.

• "I agree with him, that's why it is necessary to remove all nuclear weapons to the Americans from the five or six countries where they are located.

  And the point.

  In general, I am a radical in this sense.

  I believe that nuclear weapons should be taken to the pile and destroyed within literally some time.

  That's all.

  And chattering with the tongue, like this friend of ours knows how to do, all specialists.

  Therefore, let's collect everything and destroy it.

  This is the best option.

  In the meantime, we do as they do," Lukashenka was quoted as saying by the agency.

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• Yuri Drakakhrust

  Radio Svaboda journalist

  
  

  drakakhrusty@rferl.org

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