delivery time2023-04-07 00:27
“Continuous strengthening of defense and security exchanges… support for the extension of the allied national security program”
Lukashenko responds to Macron’s criticism of nuclear deployment: “The United States must also withdraw its nuclear weapons abroad”
(Moscow TASS = Yonhap News) Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attended a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Union States of the two countries held on the 6th (local time). 2023.4.6 photo@yna.co.kr [크렘린궁 제공. 재판매 및 DB 금지]
(Istanbul = Yonhap News) Correspondent Cho Seong-heum = Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his ally Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for two consecutive days to discuss ways to strengthen joint security, Sputnik and TASS news agencies reported on the 6th (local time).
President Putin held a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Union State with President Lukashenko in Moscow on the same day and discussed the development of a joint security strategy between the two countries and the implementation of key provisions of the 2021-2023 treaty. Since the late 1990s, the two countries have been promoting the establishment of an allied state.
“The two countries are strengthening exchanges in the field of defense and security, and will continue to do so,” Putin said.
“President Lukashenko has raised the issue of extending part of the Allied National Security Program,” he said. “I fully support this and ask the Supreme Council to resolve all issues that the President of Belarus has put forward as priorities.”
“I had a fundamental conversation with President Putin yesterday,” Lukashenko said.
He said that the meeting with President Putin, which was held the previous evening, continued for more than six hours, past 2:00 am that day.
President Putin and Lukashenko held a meeting the evening before and discussed security issues between the two countries and ways to cooperate on the international stage. President Putin highly praised the achievements of cooperation between the two countries, including in the economic field, in his open remarks at the summit, and President Lukashenko was confident that he would be able to overcome Western sanctions.
The meeting did not mention follow-up measures regarding Russia’s deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Instead, President Lukashenko argued that “the United States should also withdraw its nuclear weapons deployed abroad” in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s criticism of the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the same day.
In addition, he said in an interview with Russian state broadcaster Rossiya-1, “Let’s build up and destroy all nuclear weapons. That would be the best,” but “until then we will do as they do.”
President Putin said in a broadcast on the 25th of last month that “the two countries had agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus”, and President Lukashenko said in a State of the Union speech on the 31st of the same month, “President Putin and I will also deploy strategic nuclear weapons if necessary.” said.
In response, President Macron pointed out that President Putin’s plan today violates international agreements and promises made to the Chinese government.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “The creation of a united state was a key agenda item at the meeting.
josh@yna.co.kr
Report via KakaoTalk okjebo
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