Russia continues to train Belarusian air force pilots to fly former Soviet-era fighter jets modified to carry nuclear weapons, the two presidents said.
The remarks by the leaders of Russia and Belarus came amid continued warnings from the West that Russia could use nuclear weapons in a war with Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who visited Belarus on the same day, met with President Alexander Lukashenko and asked for training for crews of Belarusian military planes modified to use weapons equipped with special warheads and nuclear warheads, according to Rianovosti and Interfax News. He said he believes it is possible to continue implementing the proposal.
"Given the tensions surrounding Russia and Belarus, such a step is very important," Putin said.
President Lukashenko also confirmed that he is training Belarusian crews to fly military aircraft capable of transporting "special weapons", which means nuclear weapons, with Russian support.
President Lukashenko cited Western threats as a reason for preparing for the operation of nuclear weapons transport military aircraft, saying, "Western countries around Russia and Belarus are making us nervous."
Earlier, during a meeting with Russian President Putin in St. Petersburg at the end of June, President Lukashenko said, "I am very concerned about the training flights of American and NATO fighters capable of delivering nuclear warheads." Requested to be renovated.
At the time, President Putin replied, "Many Sukhoi-25 attack aircraft are in service with the Belarusian army," adding, "We will be able to modify these fighters in an appropriate way."
President Lukashenko later said that a request for conversion of military aircraft had been fulfilled in late August, suggesting that the former Soviet-era attack aircraft Sukhoi-25 owned by the Belarusian military had been modified to deliver nuclear weapons from Russia.
Russia has reportedly been training Belarusian air force pilots to fly the subsequently modified military aircraft.
Meanwhile, President Lukashenko also said that the S-400 air defense missile and the 'Iskander' tactical ballistic missile provided by Russia were deployed for combat.
He had previously said it had purchased nuclear-capable Iskander missiles and S-400 missile systems from Russia in May.
Iskander is a short-range ballistic missile that can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads and is known to have a range of up to 1,000 km.
The S-400 air defense missile, called the “Russian version of THAAD,” is a mid-to-long-range surface-to-air missile system that has been deployed by the Russian military since 2007.