Putin promises nuclear-capable missiles for Belarus and wants to upgrade Lukashenko's planes

Created: 2022-06-26 05:53

By: Marcus Giebel

Two old men and the sea: Russia's President Vladimir Putin (right) has tied the Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko to himself.

© SERGEI ILYIN/dpa

Vladimir Putin meets with Alexander Lukashenko and brings a promise to his Belarusian partner.

This is likely to cause uneasiness in the West.

Munich - There were times when Vladimir Putin was more than just a welcome guest among the largest industrial nations in the western world.

In his first two and a half terms as President, Russia was an integral part of what was then the G8 countries.

That changed as a result of the annexation of Crimea.

And so Germany, the USA, Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan and Canada have been talking a lot about the Kremlin boss since then instead of with it.

This will also be the case at the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau this Sunday.

Since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russia has been at war in Europe.

Putin and the Ukraine war: In Europe, only Lukashenko is open to the Kremlin boss

In the meantime, things have gotten lonely around Putin - not necessarily with a view to the entire world, because in Asia he still has a strong ally at his side, especially in China.

In Eastern Europe, Alexander Lukashenko is the only one who supports him publicly.

Out of necessity, because without Putin, the Belarusian dictator would probably no longer be in office.

In this respect he is a head of state by Putin's grace.

So far, observers have been all the more surprised that Belarus did not take an active part in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Not to mention that Kremlin troops were allowed to invade Ukraine from Lukashenko's territory.

So far, it has only been possible to guess how this attitude will be received in the Kremlin.

Putin meets Lukashenko: Belarus gets nuclear-capable missiles from Moscow

But Putin knows exactly what he has in Lukashenko.

A head of government that he basically has completely in his hands.

This is probably one of the reasons why the ruler from Moscow is now showing his appreciation for the long partnership in his own way.

At a meeting with Lukashenko in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Putin announced that Russia would soon supply Belarus with nuclear-capable missiles.

More specifically: “In the coming months” the loyal neighbor will get the Iskander-M missile system, which can also be equipped with nuclear warheads.

According to Putin, this could "accommodate both ballistic missiles and cruise missiles - both conventional and nuclear."

According to Russian media, the Iskander-M have a range of up to 500 kilometers.

also read

Staged assassination attempt against Putin?

New report documents alleged coup attempt in Kremlin

Ex-President and Putin confidante with a clear announcement: USA should “come crawling itself”

Video: Putsch against Putin?

Expert sees Kremlin boss weakened

Putin gives Lukashenko nuclear-capable missiles: Russia wants to modernize fighter jets

Of course, this promise is also a deterrent to the West and all of Europe, because the way from the Belarusian border to Germany is considerably shorter than from Russia.

In addition, Poland, one of the largest EU countries, is right on the doorstep.

No question: Putin is once again playing with fear in the West, where he has long since earned a reputation for being unpredictable.

Putin also offered Lukashenko that Russia could help upgrade Belarusian warplanes so that they could also carry nuclear weapons in the future.

According to Putin, the Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft could be “improved” accordingly.

His suggestion is that the modernization should be carried out in aircraft factories in Russia, so that staff training can begin at the same time.

Rocket launch: This photo was circulated by the Russian Ministry of Defense in April.

© IMAGO / Cover Images

Putin and Ukraine: Reports of rocket fire from Belarus

Only a few hours earlier, there had been reports of Russian rocket fire from Belarusian territory in Ukraine.

According to the local mayor, 24 rockets fell just in the area around Zhytomyr, a city with 260,000 inhabitants 120 kilometers west of Kyiv.

The northern command of the Ukrainian army said on Facebook that 20 rockets fell on the village of Desna in the Chernihiv region further northeast.

From the Ukrainian point of view, Putin is pursuing a clear goal with this approach: he no longer wants to be alone in the war with Russia.

"Today's attack is directly related to the Kremlin's efforts to drag Belarus into the war in Ukraine as a comrade-in-arms," ​​the General Directorate of Ukraine's Intelligence Service, which reports to the Defense Ministry, concluded on Telegram.

In this context, the promised nuclear missiles for the Belarusian fighter jets can also be seen as Putin's incentive.

Or as a thank you, Lukashenko should have secretly raised his thumb.