Putin cements security pact with Belarus amidst tensions
Putin signed the law ratifying the agreement with Belarus on security guarantees within the framework of the Union State, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS on Friday.
Much of the information provided by Russian and Belarusian media or government representatives serves as propaganda. Such reports are part of the information war conducted by the Russian Federation.
In December, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko signed an agreement in Minsk regarding mutual security guarantees. At that time, the Russian leader stated that the signed treaty "will allow reliably protecting the security of Russia and Belarus, enabling conditions conducive to further peaceful and sustainable development of our states."
As reported by the media, the document was intended to define mutual obligations in the areas of defense, and the protection of sovereignty, independence, and constitutional order of Russia and Belarus, ensuring the integrity and inviolability of the territory and external borders of the Union State.
Putin emphasized back then that in the event of a threat, for example, to Belarus, Russia would be able to use "all available forces and means," including Russian nuclear weapons stationed on Belarusian territory. The conditions for the possible use of nuclear weapons are defined in Russia's updated nuclear doctrine, he conveyed.
On Friday, the Russian agency TASS reported that Putin signed the law ratifying the agreement with Belarus on security guarantees.
