AP

Leader says Belarusian warplanes made ready to carry nukes

Aug 25, 2022, 7:43 PM | Updated: Aug 26, 2022, 7:53 am

MOSCOW (AP) — The authoritarian leader of Belarus said Friday that the country’s warplanes have been modified to carry nuclear weapons in line with an agreement with ally Russia.

President Alexander Lukashenko said the upgrade followed his June meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who offered to make Belarusian combat aircraft nuclear-capable at Russian factories and to help train pilots.

“Do you think it was all blather?” Lukashenko said to reporters Friday. “All of it has been done.”

Russia used the territory of Belarus as a staging ground to send troops into Ukraine, and Moscow and Minsk have maintained close military ties.

Lukashenko, who has been president since 1994, warned the United States and its allies against carrying out a “provocation” against Belarus. He said “the targets have been selected” for retaliation, if his warning is not heeded.

He didn’t specify how many Belarusian warplanes received the upgrade to make them capable to carry nuclear warheads. The Kremlin had no immediate comment on Lukashenko’s statement.

Earlier this year, Lukashenko said his country could host Russian nuclear weapons if the U.S. and its allies deployed nuclear weapons to NATO members Poland and Lithuania, which border Belarus.

Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for 28 years while relying on Russia’s political and economic support. In 2020, Moscow helped him survive the largest and the most sustained wave of mass protests in the country’s history, which followed a presidential election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

20 hours ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

20 hours ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

21 hours ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

Leader says Belarusian warplanes made ready to carry nukes