Poland at UN Security Council: Russia must stop "highly irresponsible nuclear rhetoric"

This UN Security Council met on Friday (March 31), at the request of the United States and Albania, to discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement on planned deployment tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Russia's decision to station tactical nuclear missiles in Belarus amid rising tension with the West over its invasion of Ukraine is its first deployment of nuclear weapons outside its borders since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Belarus said this week that the weapons would offer protection against what it called a campaign of pressure from the United States and its allies aimed at overthrowing Lukashenko, who has been in power for nearly three decades.

Poland's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Krzysztof Szczerski told the UN Security Council that deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus "would constitute an irrisponsible escalation and would only further increase ongoing tensions in Europe, stemming from Russia's aggression against Ukraine". "It would also pose a major risk to the integrity of the global non-proliferation system," he added.

"The international community needs to categorically condemn Russia’s nuclear rhetoric which extremely dangerous and highly irresponsible. Moscow’s strategy, echoed today by Alexander Lukashenko, is clear: to intimidate, to provoke, to impede efforts aimed at ending Russia’s war on Ukraine. " Szczerski said.

The ambassador also condemned Russia's continued efforts to further subordinate Belarus and instrumentalize Minsk to pursue Moscow's aggressive policy. "It is deplorable that the authorities in Minsk chose to act as an enabler of Russia's illegal war in Ukraine in the first place. It is unacceptable that now it has decided to further pursue this role to the detriment of the security of us all" he stressed.

He also pointed out Russia's consistent violations of its arms control commitments. "Repeated threats to use nuclear weapons are utterly irresponsible and unacceptable, even if they boil down to a political bluff of blackmailing," he underscored.

"The sad reality we find ourselves today is the best manifestation of Russia's contempt for its own commitments to global peace and to the principles that should bind us all as the members of this organization," Poland's UN ambassador said.

"Poland would like to call on Russia and Belarus to refrain from pursuing the announced plans and comply with their internatinoal commitments. We also appeal to all states to redouble their efforts aimed at the strengthening of the non-proliferation system, despite Russian irresponsible policy and aggressive behavior. Those actions must not work. The risk of nuclear apocalipse in the region and in the world must be averted," Krzysztof Szczerski concluded.

The deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Robert Wood, accused Putin of "escalating Russia's dangerous and destabilizing behavior" with his threat to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council that Putin took the decision to "ensure the security of the Russian Federation and Belarus."

China, Moscow's strategic partner, did not specifically address Putin's plans. China's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Geng Shuang told the council that Beijing advocates "no deployment of nuclear weapons abroad by all nuclear weapons states and the withdrawal of nuclear weapons deployed aboard."

Today, March 31st, was the last day of the month when Mozambique chaired the Security Council. From April 1, the presidency passes to Russia. When Russia held the presidency in the council last time, the Kremlin launched full-scale war against Ukraine.